At India Today Conclave Mumbai, Lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay Opines Voter Roll Revision Should Be Conducted Every 5 Years
(MENAFN- ForPressRelease)
26th September, 2025, Mumbai: Supreme Court lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay on Friday called for the need to carry out Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls all across the country at regular intervals of five years. Known to be an advocate of the exercise, Upadhyay said there should not be a wait of 15-20 years to conduct it.
The senior lawyer made the remarks while addressing a session on voter revision rolls at the ongoing 2025 India Today Conclave Mumbai.
Most states had the last SIR between 2002 and 2004 and have nearly completed mapping of current electors with those as per the last intensive revision. The intensive voter list survey aims to ensure the integrity of electoral rolls by identifying and removing the names of illegal migrants and ineligible voters.
Bihar, where the Assembly polls are due later this year, will be the first state to undergo this exercise.
Due to the timing of the Election Commission's announcement to conduct the exercise, the SIR has come under intense scrutiny by the Congres-led opposition for alleged "vote theft" and claims that the electoral process has been manipulated to favour the ruling BJP.
In his remarks to the session, Upadhyay said three things are required to be a voter -- citizen of India, above 18 years of age and proof of residence from the area where the person wants to cast his ballot.
"The Aadhar card's latest format, which came into force in 2023, does not state citizenship, residential or age proof. Hence, this Aadhar cannot be submitted as proof by a voter," he asserted.
The lawyer also expressed hope that on October 7 when it will hear final arguments on the validity of the SIR in Bihar, the Supreme Court will recall its "wrong" order where it was accepted that Aadhar is the right document.
When asked to comment on the Election Commission's intention to conduct the SIR to weed out illegal immigrants, the lawyer claimed that there are 5 crore illegals in the country, for which he has filed a plea mentioning how many in which state, including Bihar.
The Bihar SIR will be out on September 30.
The EC has said that after Bihar, SIR will be carried out in the entire country. Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are due in 2026.
The primary aim of the intensive revision is to weed out illegal foreign migrants by checking their place of birth.
The move assumes significance in the wake of a crackdown in various states on illegal foreign migrants, including from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
About India Today Conclave
The India Today Conclave is India's first and only intelligence exchange that engages every stakeholder to build an agenda for positive change. It dissects every relevant fact, amplifies every sensible voice. It is a leadership conference where the sharpest global minds come together to analyse, debate, inspire, entertain and, of course, prescribe solutions. For over two decades, the India Today Conclave has been a global diagnostic, measuring the pulse of the world, making sense of random developments and predicting the next big thing.
The senior lawyer made the remarks while addressing a session on voter revision rolls at the ongoing 2025 India Today Conclave Mumbai.
Most states had the last SIR between 2002 and 2004 and have nearly completed mapping of current electors with those as per the last intensive revision. The intensive voter list survey aims to ensure the integrity of electoral rolls by identifying and removing the names of illegal migrants and ineligible voters.
Bihar, where the Assembly polls are due later this year, will be the first state to undergo this exercise.
Due to the timing of the Election Commission's announcement to conduct the exercise, the SIR has come under intense scrutiny by the Congres-led opposition for alleged "vote theft" and claims that the electoral process has been manipulated to favour the ruling BJP.
In his remarks to the session, Upadhyay said three things are required to be a voter -- citizen of India, above 18 years of age and proof of residence from the area where the person wants to cast his ballot.
"The Aadhar card's latest format, which came into force in 2023, does not state citizenship, residential or age proof. Hence, this Aadhar cannot be submitted as proof by a voter," he asserted.
The lawyer also expressed hope that on October 7 when it will hear final arguments on the validity of the SIR in Bihar, the Supreme Court will recall its "wrong" order where it was accepted that Aadhar is the right document.
When asked to comment on the Election Commission's intention to conduct the SIR to weed out illegal immigrants, the lawyer claimed that there are 5 crore illegals in the country, for which he has filed a plea mentioning how many in which state, including Bihar.
The Bihar SIR will be out on September 30.
The EC has said that after Bihar, SIR will be carried out in the entire country. Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are due in 2026.
The primary aim of the intensive revision is to weed out illegal foreign migrants by checking their place of birth.
The move assumes significance in the wake of a crackdown in various states on illegal foreign migrants, including from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
About India Today Conclave
The India Today Conclave is India's first and only intelligence exchange that engages every stakeholder to build an agenda for positive change. It dissects every relevant fact, amplifies every sensible voice. It is a leadership conference where the sharpest global minds come together to analyse, debate, inspire, entertain and, of course, prescribe solutions. For over two decades, the India Today Conclave has been a global diagnostic, measuring the pulse of the world, making sense of random developments and predicting the next big thing.
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