NEW DELHI: India’s democracy and development rest on an unglamorous but decisive foundation: counting that brings power to society and accuracy to governance. In this context, the population Census, scheduled to kick off in March–April 2027, and the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which began in 2025 in a phased manner, starting with Bihar, are two distinct exercises with different purposes. Together, they define what India plans for and who India listens to.
One without the other leaves governance lopsided — development without representation, or representation without accurate social grounding. As India navigates demographic change and democratic competition, getting these two exercises right is not a procedural detail but a democratic imperative.
The Census provides the country’s most comprehensive statistical portrait of its population. Traditionally conducted every 10 years, it was due in 2021 but was postponed after the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. Even after the pandemic subsided in 2022, it could not be taken up immediately.
Through the Census, the government counts every individual and records demographic, social, and economic attributes and more. This time, the government is also set to enumerate the different castes prevalent in the country. The data then forms the backbone of evidence-based policymaking.
The Census also has constitutional and political significance. The delimitation of parliamentary and assembly constituencies is anchored in population figures. This has triggered political unease around the North–South divide. Similarly, reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in legislatures are based on population share. In short, the Census mediates representation itself.
The Election Commission of India (EC) has long received complaints about anomalies in electoral rolls. It launched a comprehensive SIR in phases that involves deletion of duplicate and ineligible names, and inclusion of eligible voters. Its objective is narrower than the Census but no less vital. In a mobile society, intensive revision is essential.