Protests against SIR & CEC: Key demands of Congress, CJP, AISA explained

On October 10, New Delhi will once again witness ‘Dilli Chalo’, a major demonstration led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), the All India Students’ Association (AISA), and other organisations. 

The loudest demand is for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar. Protesters are seeking accountability for the large-scale disenfranchisement of voters in the name of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, the centralisation of electoral databases, and the reportedly autocratic decision-making process in the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Even as CJP-led protests were being held in Mumbai and AISA was protesting in Delhi, the Congress party, under the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, has been staging demonstrations in Delhi demanding the resignation of the CEC. Both on October 6 and 7, Rahul Gandhi and other protesting leaders were detained by the Delhi police. 

The removal of the CEC is only one among the demands raised by the protesting groups. They variously include the rollback of SIR, freezing of the 2025 electoral rolls, a return to ballot papers, and abolition of the CEC and Other Election Commissioners Act of 2023.

Controversies surrounding SIR

Ever since the first phase of the SIR process was implemented in Bihar in 2025, there has been significant criticism of the ECI’s actions, with widespread concerns of voter disenfranchisement raised by voters and opposition political parties. Lakhs of eligible voters found themselves removed from the electoral rolls, often citing arbitrary ‘logical discrepancies’, and in some cases, no reason at all. 

The process of enrolling new voters and/or deleting duplicates was completely shifted online. Critics argued that decision-making powers were taken away from Electoral Registration Officers and given to algorithms that were prone to error. This also led to a larger centralisation of the electoral database, with many alleging that the controls were effectively limited to ‘Delhi’.

Form-6, which is used for enrolling new voters, had to be submitted with an additional declaration linking oneself to one’s parents’ names in the 2002 electoral rolls. This, for states currently undergoing SIR and others. However, changes to Form 6 require an amendment to the The Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 (flowing from Section 28 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950) by the government and are subject to parliamentary scrutiny. The move didn’t withstand scrutiny, with the Supreme Court questioning it, forcing the ECI to roll back the additional requirement for the declaration. The ECI had said the declaration was added with the sanction of the apex court, which the Chief Justice then denied.

Form-7, which is used for removal of duplicate and dead voters or those who have shifted addresses, was allegedly widely misused during the SIR. Vulnerable voters found themselves having to go through the arduous task of proving their families had lived and voted in the country for decades. Muslim voters especially bore the brunt of this misuse, as is evidenced from recent reports from Telangana and Karnataka. 

The decision regarding the modifications to Form-6 was one among many that the CEC and the two other Election Commissioners disagreed over, according to an investigation published by the Indian Express. The ECI is supposed to arrive at decisions unanimously, but the report indicated that it may not have been so. 

Here is a closer look at each of the demands of the protesting groups.

Major demands of protesters

1. CEC exit

Growing dissatisfaction over the conduct of the SIR, coupled with the allegations revealed in the Indian Express story, strengthened the calls for the removal of the CEC, with protests erupting in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and other parts of the country in the first week of October. If Gyanesh Kumar is not removed from the post by October 10, the capital city is set to face another massive demonstration.Ahead of its October 2 demonstration in Mumbai, CJP leader Abhijeet Dipke had told the media that they are also demanding that an inquiry be initiated against Gyanesh Kumar and criminal charges be pressed on him.

2. Rollback of SIR/Freeze the 2025 electoral rolls

The Congress and AISA have demanded a rollback of the SIR, with deletions made during the revision process made void. The CJP has also called for a rollback of the SIR and freezing of the 2025 electoral rolls. They have also demanded that elections be conducted with the 2025 electoral rolls. Along with a rollback of the SIR, AISA has demanded that eligible voters who were wrongly removed from the electoral rolls through the process of FIR should be added back to the rolls.

3. Return to ballot paper

One of the Congress’ three non-negotiable demands, according to party president Mallikarjun Kharge, is the replacement of electronic voting machines (EVM) with ballot paper. 

A major flaw critics point out in EVMs is the alleged lack of transparency. EVMs also can be manipulated to rig elections, critics allege.

In 2024, the Supreme Court ruled against a petition filed by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) seeking a return to the ballot system. “Paper ballot is the gold standard,” ADR has held, citing the National Election Defense Coalition of USA to argue that only paper ballots provide physical proof of the voter’s intent. “While tampering with paper votes can be caught red-handed, manipulation of thousands of votes in the EVMs cannot be detected,” ADR argued.

4. Abolish CEC and Other Election Commissioners Act of 2023

According to the 2023 Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, the Selection Committee for appointments of the commissioners will consist of the Prime Minister, a Union Cabinet Minister, and Leader of Opposition/leader of the largest opposition party in the Lok Sabha. Prior to the 2023 law, the Committee consisted of the PM, LoP, and the Chief Justice of India. 

The law also provides that recommendations of the Selection Committee will be valid even when there is a vacancy in this Committee.  

These clauses in the 2023 law facilitates the government’s monopoly in decisions regarding the selection of the commissioners. 

Gyanesh Kumar was among the first commissioners to be appointed to the ECI after this law was passed. A midnight meeting of the Selection Committee was held to finalise the selection, prompting Opposition Leader Rahul Gandhi to question the need for the “tearing hurry”.

In a later amendment, sweeping legal immunity for the commissioners were also written into the Act. Section 16 of the Act protects serving and former Election Commissioners from civil or criminal proceedings for acts, words or things done while acting, or claiming to act, in their official capacity. 

The CEC and ECs enjoy greater legal immunity than judges, the Supreme Court had orally observed on October 5 while hearing petitions challenging the decisions allegedly taken unilaterally by CEC Gyanesh Kumar in connection with the SIR. 

The AISA has, therefore, listed the abolition of the CEC and Other Election Commissioners Act among their major demands in the ongoing protests. The CJP has also called for an independent body to conduct the selection of new Election Commissioners.