A broad coalition of people’s movements, civil society groups, and concerned citizens has issued a strong indictment of the Election Commission of India over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. The statement, titled the Delhi Declaration, emerged from the National Convention on Defending Universal Adult Franchise organised by BJA, PUCL, and NAPM. Participants described the exercise as an unprecedented assault on the right to vote.
The Declaration opened with a warning on democratic principle. In a democracy, voters choose their government. A democracy loses all meaning if the government is allowed to choose its voters. Speakers said the current revision reverses this core idea and weakens the foundations of the republic.
According to the Convention, the ECI has converted a routine administrative process into a sweeping restructuring of voter eligibility. This shift has occurred without constitutional amendment, legislative scrutiny, or changes in statutory rules. The SIR places the burden of proving eligibility on individual citizens, replacing the long-standing presumption of citizenship for enrolled voters.
Bihar’s experience featured as a central example. The Declaration cited a net deletion of 45 lakh voters, a sharp decline in population to elector ratios, and serious harm to poor households, migrant workers, minorities, and women.
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