Rally Demands the Chief Election Commissioner's Resignation Over the Voter Roll Revision: How the SIR Works and How a CEC Can Be Removed
A large rally was held at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi on 1 November 2026. It demanded the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), the head of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
The protest is about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls (a house-to-house rebuilding of the voter list). Critics claim that the SIR across many states could leave about 130 million (13 crore) people off the voter lists. This figure is a claim and is not an official count.
The Election Commission has rejected the charges of wrongdoing and says the revision is meant to clean the rolls of dead, shifted and duplicate names.
Earlier in 2026, members of Parliament gave notices in both Houses to start the process for removing the CEC. In March 2026, 130 Lok Sabha members and 63 Rajya Sabha members signed such notices. The presiding officers of both Houses did not admit them in April 2026. A fresh notice signed by 73 Rajya Sabha members was given later in April.
The issue raises two exam questions: how voter lists are revised, and how the Constitution protects the CEC from easy removal.
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls
An electoral roll is the official list of voters for a constituency. Only a person whose name is on this list can vote. A Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is the most detailed type of check of this list. Booth Level Officers go from house to house, every voter fills a fresh form, and the roll is rebuilt almost from scratch.
The rally's main grievance is the scale of names dropped in the SIR. The core debate is the balance between a clean roll (no dead or duplicate voters) and an inclusive roll (no genuine voter left out because of missing papers).
Appointment and Removal of the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners
The Election Commission is led by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and other Election Commissioners (ECs). The Constitution makes the CEC very hard to remove, so that he can run elections without fear of the government of the day. The CEC can be removed only in the same way as a judge of the Supreme Court.
The rally demanded that the CEC resign, because removal needs a special majority in both Houses after a judge-led inquiry. In 2026, notices with the required signatures were given, but they were not admitted, so no inquiry committee was set up.
Election Commission of India (Article 324): Powers and Functions
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is the constitutional body that conducts elections to Parliament, the state legislatures, and the offices of the President and the Vice-President. It is a permanent body set up on 25 January 1950 (now marked as National Voters' Day). It does not conduct panchayat and municipal elections; State Election Commissions do that.
The SIR is ordered and run by the ECI under Article 324. Reports that some commissioners objected to decisions on the revision bring the commission's majority-based decision process into focus.
- Rally date and place: 1 November 2026, Ramlila Maidan, New Delhi
- Claimed number of voters at risk of being left off rolls: about 130 million (a claim, not an official figure)
- SIR legal basis: Article 324 (ECI control of rolls) and Section 21(3), Representation of the People Act, 1950
- Bihar SIR ordered: 24 June 2025; Phase 2 (12 states and UTs) began: 27 October 2025
- CEC removal: Article 324(5), same manner and grounds as a Supreme Court judge (proved misbehaviour or incapacity)
- Removal notice: 100 Lok Sabha or 50 Rajya Sabha members' signatures (Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968)
- March 2026 notices: 130 Lok Sabha and 63 Rajya Sabha members signed; not admitted in April 2026
- Selection committee (2023 Act): PM, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, a Union Cabinet Minister nominated by the PM
- ECI established: 25 January 1950; three-member since October 1993