NB: This is a shameless assault on the most fundamental guarantee of the Indian Constitution, and if the Supreme Court cannot see it as such, we are free to draw the most sinister conclusion. This is the centenary of the RSS; and this, is the clearest evidence of what they wish for as their utopia. Limited franchise –> ideological absorption of all state institutions –> totalitarian tyranny. DS
Mainstream, Vol 64 No 26, November 2, 2026
Sukla Sen
Prologue – AA. Early Warnings:
I/II. Make no mistake.
It’s an attempted mega-assault on the “India” that was brought into being by the epic Indian freedom struggle on August 15 1947, the day when the shackle of foreign colonial rule was finally shaken off.
Arguably, the most major as yet.
Universal adult franchise, along with “free” election, every five years or so, is one of the very cornerstones of the Indian political system — its much vaunted, even if flawed, electoral “democracy”.
The SIR, an unprecedented move any whichever way, is structured to disenfranchise millions and millions — the marginalised (and targeted) ones in particular by making near-impossible demands in terms of documents submission and that too within an absurdly tight time schedule.
On top of this, those who will be disenfranchised via this summary exercise will also face the nightmarish prospect of losing citizenship as well. Even if that process will presumably be a bit cumbersome.
All in all, if this already unleashed process — which in due course is slated to be extended to (the) whole of India — goes unabated, will radically change “India”, as it stood till now.
(Excerpted from The SIR Underway: ’Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice Dhulia to hear Bihar electoral roll revision case on July 10 [today]’, dtd. 10 07 25, at <https://groups.google.com/g/> .)
II. The whole process of SIR is designed to (rather surreptitiously) convert universal adult franchise into some form of limited adult franchise.
*The disadvantaged would get eliminated.*
The trick is essentially twofold:
I. Ask the voter to prove that she is an eligible voter — that means that apart from other things she will have to also prove that she is an Indian citizen.
II. For that (i) ask for (nearly) impossible documents and (ii) make the process of determination opaque and thereby arbitrary.
By conducting the whole operation within an absurdly short time-frame, major chunks of migrant workers would get automatically eliminated by being unavailable at that point of time.
*That’s not the end of it.*
*The disenfranchisement would most likely lead to selective stripping of citizenship rights — again on a massive scale. With all its horrendous consequences.*
(Excerpted from On the SIR: A Micro Note, dtd. 21 11 25, at <https://groups.google.com/> .)
BB. What is so “Special” in “Special Intensive Revisions” ?
The 2025–2026 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) represents a historic departure from the previous eight intensive revisions conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) between 1951 and 2004. While past iterations functioned as structural roll expansions to ensure voter inclusion, the current SIR introduces a highly distinct operational and legal framework.
The critical distinctions between the current SIR and previous Intensive Revisions include:
Read more: https://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article16998.html
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India’s self-incubated East India Company
Can Capitalism and Democracy Coexist? Chris Hedges interviews political philosopher Sheldon Wolin
Dhruv Rathee: How Indian Media Brainwashes You / How do our Police define ‘peace’ in ‘peace bond’?
Anjali Bhardwaj: The Special Intensive Revision Decision the Election Commission Says It Never Made
Unsolicited thoughts from an elder citizen
