The SIR exercise spans Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. According to the Election Commission of India, more than 95 per cent of eligible electors in these areas have received enumeration forms. The Congress flagged this meeting to surface concerns over its ground readiness, coordination challenges and what it describes as systemic vulnerabilities in voter-list revision.
Congress leaders pointed to the Bihar result — where the opposition coalition was reduced to just 35 seats — as a catalyst for this review. The party now frames the SIR as both a battleground for electoral integrity and a test of its internal structures ahead of state polls scheduled for next year in Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Puducherry and Kerala. Officials emphasised that the discussion focused on draft formation of a layered response: monitoring enumeration drives, strengthening Booth Level Officer engagement, bolstering party data-gathering and reinforcing alliance cooperation under the Indian National Development aluminium Alliance umbrella.
During the meeting, Rahul Gandhi urged the party to engage “politically, organisationally and legally” in guarding the ballot process. He asserted that the SIR process “raises serious questions” over fairness and added that the party must mobilise and monitor what is happening on the ground. The Congress alleged that the SIR’s rapid timeline — allotting just a month for document submission in some cases — poses a risk of disenfranchising marginalised groups, particularly those with seasonal labour commitments or mobility constraints. In Chhattisgarh, the Congress asked the election body for at least a three-month extension for documentation citing the harvesting season as a complicating factor.
The election commission has defended the process, stating that the SIR aims to remove duplicates and ensure accuracy. Officials note that the target of over 50 crore enumeration forms across the twelve units is being met and that the process continues according to schedule. Party insiders say the review meeting in New Delhi is expected to produce a play-book which includes systematic mapping of enumeration coverage, identification of potential gaps in voter-list inclusion and a mechanism for resolving disputes raised as part of the SIR.