CEC says accurate voter list crucial for strong democracy

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Wednesday emphasised that maintaining a “pure” voter list is key to strengthening democracy. Speaking at the inaugural session of the International Conference on Democracy and Election Management (IICDEM-2026) , he said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar last year was conducted under close public scrutiny, with no complaints about inclusion or exclusion of voters and no repolls required across over one lakh polling stations.

“A pure electoral roll, including every elector as per law, is essential to strengthen democracy and all elections conducted on its basis,” Kumar said. He highlighted the Election Commission of India’s role in ensuring accuracy by verifying electors, removing duplicates, deceased voters, and illegal entries, while allowing public scrutiny to maintain transparency and fairness.

The SIR , an intensive exercise beyond regular revisions, aims to update and purify voter lists , particularly to identify and remove ineligible or foreign voters, forming the basis for upcoming elections. Opposition parties, however, have raised concerns that the exercise could be misused to manipulate votes or target specific communities, a charge the ECI and government have repeatedly denied. Phase II of the SIR, which began on November 4 last year, covers multiple states, while Assam is undergoing a separate special revision.

IICDEM-2026 , the largest international conference on election management hosted by India, has brought together nearly 100 delegates from 70 countries to discuss global best practices, innovations in election management, and challenges faced by large-scale democracies. Hosting the conference reinforces India’s leadership role in strengthening democracy globally and provides a platform for other countries to learn from India’s experience in conducting elections for over 900 million voters.

The conference underscores that transparent voter verification, efficient election management, and clean electoral rolls are essential for free, fair, and credible elections , both in India and worldwide.