Pawan Khera Questions SIR After Reported Deletion of 728 Voters in Delhi
The Congress leader says the reported deletions at Bela Estate raise serious concerns about the impact of the electoral roll revision on poor and migrant communities.
Congress leader Pawan Khera has raised questions over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls after a report claimed that 728 of 729 registered voters at a polling booth in Delhi’s Bela Estate had been removed from the electoral list.
Khera reacted to a post by Newslaundry on X, which highlighted the reported deletions and questioned the reasons given by polling officials for removing the names.
According to the Newslaundry post, officials had reportedly cited the “unauthorised” nature of the voters’ homes while explaining the deletions.
The report also referred to Election Commission of India guidelines, which state that people living in sheds, on pavements or in encroachments on government land may still be eligible for voter registration if they ordinarily reside at the location.
Khera said the reported mass deletion was an indication of what he described as the “sinister nature” of the SIR.
He alleged that the exercise could disproportionately affect poor people, migrants and other disadvantaged sections of society.
Khera also claimed that voter deletions had previously affected people’s access to ration and welfare benefits. He said the Bela Estate case should therefore not be dismissed as an isolated incident.
Calling the development a warning, Khera questioned the intentions of the Bharatiya Janata Party and urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of the matter.
He also called for the court to strike down the SIR, which he described as an unconstitutional exercise.
The controversy comes amid an ongoing political dispute over the revision of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have repeatedly expressed concern that large scale deletion of voter names could exclude eligible citizens from the electoral process, particularly those from marginalised communities.
The SIR has become a contentious issue in several parts of the country, with political parties and civil society groups continuing to debate the process, its implementation and its possible impact on voters.