AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Union government over the alleged large-scale deletion of voters from electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, warning that the process could create a "permanent class of excluded Indians."
In a post on X, Owaisi alleged that the Centre had already overseen the removal of nearly 6.5 crore names from electoral rolls across 13 states and Union Territories through a document-based verification exercise. He claimed the government was now seeking to institutionalise the process through a committee that would examine those exclusions and establish a long-term mechanism for identifying, detaining and deporting alleged illegal immigrants.
"The Union Government first carried out a document-driven SIR that deleted nearly 6.5 crore names from electoral rolls across 13 States and UTs. Now it wants a committee to study those very exclusions and build a permanent system for the identification, detention, and deportation of illegal immigrants," Owaisi said.
The Hyderabad MP expressed concern that the exercise could have far-reaching implications for democratic participation, particularly among vulnerable sections of society.
"SIR will be used to create a permanent class of excluded Indians. The right to vote is the poor's only weapon against the powerful. Without it, the government will do what it pleases with them," he said.
Owaisi also alleged that individuals removed from electoral rolls were already facing difficulties in accessing welfare benefits. However, he emphasised that exclusion from voter rolls does not automatically affect a person's citizenship status.
"Under the law, a deletion under SIR does not mean that a person is not a citizen," he said, adding that around 27 lakh cases remain under adjudication and that many affected individuals may still seek enrolment through Form 6.
Questioning the transparency of the process, Owaisi claimed that the Election Commission of India (ECI) had not released data indicating how many exclusions were linked to foreign nationality. He further alleged that those disproportionately affected by the exercise were Muslims, women, migrants and economically weaker sections.
The AIMIM chief also questioned the rationale behind the proposed committee, citing government demographic data that, according to him, showed population growth had stabilised and the total fertility rate (TFR) stood at 2.0.
"The government's own data show that our demography and population have stabilised and that our TFR is 2.0. Why do we need this committee?" he asked, alleging that it would fuel "paranoia and fear" among Muslims.
Expanding his criticism of the government, Owaisi linked the issue to broader concerns over bureaucratic processes, citing controversies surrounding NEET-UG 2026 and the CBSE OSM system.
"This government loves making Indians waste their time on documentation. Sometimes it is KYC or SIR; sometimes it is uploading some document to some portal. But it cannot conduct a simple exam properly," he said.
"Common people are scrutinised by the government, but the government cannot be scrutinised by us," he added.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission on May 14 announced the rollout of Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across 16 states and three Union Territories, covering more than 36 crore electors in a phased manner, including Telangana.
According to the Commission, the exercise has been planned in coordination with the house-listing phase of the Census to ensure efficient utilisation of field staff and resources.
For Telangana and Punjab, the qualifying date has been fixed as October 1, 2026. The preparatory phase will be conducted between June 15 and June 24, followed by Booth Level Officer (BLO) visits from June 25 to July 24. The draft electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on July 31, with claims and objections accepted until August 30. After the disposal of claims and objections, the final electoral rolls will be published on October 1, 2026.
(With inputs from ANI)