Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has criticised the Union Government over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and expressed concerns about the impact of the exercise on voters.
In a post shared on X, Owaisi claimed that a document-based SIR exercise had led to the deletion of nearly 6.5 crore names from electoral rolls across 13 States and Union Territories. He alleged that the government now plans to study these exclusions and create a permanent system for identifying, detaining, and deporting illegal immigrants.
SIR could exclude Indians from electoral rolls
According to Asaduddin Owaisi, the SIR process could result in the exclusion of a large number of Indian citizens from electoral rolls. He stated that voting is an important right, especially for poor people, and losing that right could affect their ability to raise their concerns through the democratic process.
The Hyderabad MP also claimed that reports have emerged of people being denied benefits under government welfare schemes.
Referring to the legal position, Owaisi said that the removal of a person’s name from the electoral roll under SIR does not automatically mean that the individual is not an Indian citizen. He stated that lakhs of cases are still under adjudication and that many people may apply again for voter enrolment through Form 6.
Asaduddin Owaisi lists communities affected by SIR
Asaduddin Owaisi further claimed that data available on voter exclusions indicates that Muslims, women, economically weaker sections, and migrant communities were among those most affected.
Owaisi also questioned the need for a committee on illegal immigrants, citing government data which, according to him, shows that India’s population growth and demographic indicators have stabilised.
In his post, he further alleged that citizens are often required to repeatedly submit documents and complete verification processes, while government institutions are not subjected to the same level of scrutiny.
