Congress Calls for Immediate Halt to SIR After Wrongful Deletions of Voters in Delhi

On 19 October 2026 , the Congress party demanded an urgent stop to the SIR after a civil‑society audit revealed that at least 100 voters in two polling booths of Delhi’s Okhla constituency were wrongly removed as ASDD . The party argues that the process is illegal, unconstitutional, and disenfranchises citizens. Key Developments Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a screenshot of a media report highlighting the wrongful deletions. The audit covered 258 households over seven days and found 100 voters wrongly classified as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate. Nationally, over 9 crore voters have been deleted under the ASDD categories. The Election Commission’s promised "special camps" and door‑to‑door verification have not reached many affected voters, according to the audit. Congress labelled the SIR a "Method Of Disenfranchising Indians" and urged the ECI to suspend the exercise and restore deleted names. Important Facts The audit was conducted by civil‑society organisations in Delhi. It revealed that most wrongful deletions fell under the Shifted and Absent categories. The report also noted that many voters were not contacted by their BLOs , undermining the transparency of the process. UPSC Relevance The controversy touches upon several UPSC syllabus areas: GS2 – Polity (constitutional role of the ECI , voter‑list management, and fundamental right to vote); GS1 – Governance (administrative challenges in large‑scale data cleaning); and GS4 – Ethics (issues of fairness, accountability, and the impact of bureaucratic decisions on citizens). Way Forward For the issue to be resolved, the following steps are suggested: Immediate suspension of the SIR until a transparent review is completed. Independent audit of all deletions made under the ASDD headings. Strengthening the role of BLOs by ensuring they conduct door‑to‑door verification and inform affected voters. Public disclosure of the criteria and data used for deletions to enhance accountability. Legal challenge, if necessary, to protect the constitutional right to vote. Addressing these concerns will safeguard electoral integrity and uphold democratic principles.