The Election Commission of India is facing mounting criticism for its handling of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, which continues to disproportionately exclude vulnerable communities from the electoral rolls. According to recent reports, women, sex workers, and transgender persons face significant barriers in securing their voting rights due to stringent legacy document requirements.
Disproportionate Impact on Marginalized Groups
The Special Intensive Revision process, intended to clean up and update voter lists, has instead created substantial obstacles for India's most vulnerable populations. Women, sex workers, and transgender individuals are experiencing what activists describe as systematic exclusion from the democratic process. The primary barrier remains the requirement for legacy documents that many marginalized individuals simply cannot provide.
Samata Biswas, in her analysis published on 24 November 2025, highlighted how the current system fails to account for the realities faced by these communities. Without proper identification documents that establish their residency and identity, countless eligible voters remain invisible to the electoral machinery.
Legacy Documents: The Unsurmountable Barrier
The requirement for legacy documents has become the single biggest obstacle for vulnerable communities seeking to exercise their fundamental right to vote. Many sex workers and transgender persons lack traditional address proofs or birth certificates due to their marginalized status and frequent displacement.
Similarly, women who have recently married or relocated often struggle to establish their new residential credentials within the tight timelines of the Special Intensive Revision process. The Election Commission's precious little action to address these systemic issues has drawn sharp criticism from civil society organizations and voting rights advocates.
Consequences for Democratic Participation
The continued exclusion of these communities from voter lists has far-reaching implications for India's democracy. When significant segments of the population cannot participate in elections, the resulting governance fails to represent the nation's true diversity and needs.
Civil society groups are urging the Election Commission to implement more inclusive verification processes and alternative documentation methods that recognize the unique circumstances of vulnerable communities. Without such measures, the democratic deficit will continue to grow, undermining the very foundation of electoral integrity.
The situation remains particularly dire as the next election cycle approaches, with thousands of eligible voters potentially remaining disenfranchised unless immediate corrective measures are implemented.
