Agartala, 17th October 2026 : The Tripura State Congress has demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and other officials concerned over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, accusing the Election Commission of undermining democratic rights by imposing complicated documentation requirements and excluding genuine voters.
In a press statement issued on Saturday, Tripura State Congress spokesperson Prabir Chakraborty alleged that the ongoing SIR exercise was being conducted in an expedited and complicated manner ahead of elections, making it difficult for ordinary citizens to establish their eligibility to vote. The party also demanded legal action against the officials concerned and called for the abolition of the SIR process, restoration of ballot-paper voting and formation of an impartial Election Commission.
According to the Congress, eight intensive revisions of electoral rolls have been conducted since independence, with each exercise taking between three and five years. Earlier revisions primarily involved Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visiting households to verify voter details and update records, without requiring citizens to complete fresh forms. The party alleged that the present exercise has introduced 11 complex information requirements, including details concerning the birth dates and identities of parents and grandparents, creating difficulties for genuine voters.
The statement further alleged that approximately 13.39 crore names had been deleted from electoral rolls following a nationwide exercise covering around 95.4 crore voters. The Congress also questioned discrepancies in Uttar Pradesh’s voter registration figures, claiming that 71.33 lakh applications were received while 83.03 lakh names were added to the final electoral roll, without a satisfactory explanation.
Referring to concerns reportedly expressed by former Chief Election Commissioner O. P. Rawat, the party questioned the rationale behind the documentation requirements and warned that the exclusion of eligible voters could violate constitutional principles and electoral laws.
The Congress also criticised the handling of voter exclusions ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections, alleging that genuine voters had been left out despite document verification and that tribunal-based proceedings had caused further delays. It questioned the legal validity of the election process and demanded greater transparency in electoral roll preparation.
The party insisted that electoral laws should protect voters whose names appeared on previous rolls but were missing from updated lists. It called for transparent electoral rolls and safeguards throughout voting and counting to ensure that every eligible citizen could vote for their preferred candidate.
Emphasising the importance of the issue in Tripura, the State Congress said its president had already called for strengthening the democratic movement through unity and patience. The party pledged to play an active role in the campaign and urged democracy-loving citizens to remain vigilant against what it described as alleged manipulation by the ruling coalition and certain elements of the government and police administration.
Meanwhile, extending Sharadotsav greetings to the people of Tripura, the Congress wished them happiness and prosperity and appealed to the government to maintain peace and order throughout the festive period so that people from all communities could celebrate without fear or disruption.
