The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to suspend the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which the party described as “chaotic, arbitrary and dangerous.”
In a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday by the party’s Polit Bureau, titled “Stop Flawed SIR,” the CPI(M) criticised the rushed manner of the nationwide exercise, alleging that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been burdened with “impossible deadlines” for door-to-door verification.
The statement said the haste has compelled BLOs to set up makeshift offices in party premises and summon voters to those locations, a development the party warned could lead to “mass exclusion and errors” in the rolls.
“The entire exercise is being conducted in a tearing hurry and in a poorly planned manner,” the Polit Bureau said. “Booth Level Officers have been given impossible deadlines… This has already claimed many lives as officers work under crushing workloads without adequate rest or safeguards. These are not accidental casualties. They are the direct outcome of an irresponsible and inhuman administrative process.”
The CPI(M) also questioned the Election Commission’s failure to deploy its own duplicate-voter detection software, alleging that the omission “raises serious concerns about the real intent behind the current revision.” The party further highlighted technical glitches — including poor internet connectivity, unstable servers and repeated system crashes — which have made it “an ordeal” for ordinary voters, particularly those in rural and marginalised communities, to upload the required forms.
“The problems of internet connectivity, unstable servers and repeated technical failures are creating new barriers to voter inclusion,” the statement said. “The Polit Bureau demands that the Election Commission immediately halt this flawed process and stop the disenfranchisement of a large number of people.”
CPI(M) General Secretary M. A. Baby had earlier described the SIR as a “criminal exercise,” urging the poll body to halt the process and provide compensation to the families of deceased BLOs.
The Election Commission has not yet responded publicly to the CPI(M)’s allegations. The SIR is currently underway in 12 states and Union Territories, covering about 51 crore voters.
The Special Intensive Revision aims to update electoral rolls ahead of the state assembly elections scheduled for 2026. Critics have pointed to procedural irregularities, inadequate training of BLOs and outdated software as factors undermining the credibility of the exercise.