Despite pervasive fears, India is undergoing some dramatic changes in its electoral landscape. The country is in the midst of a massive, nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. This exercise, which began on November 4, aims to revise electoral rolls across 12 states and federally administered regions, impacting nearly 510 million voters—more than half of India’s 970 million electorate. The SIR’s goal is to maximize the number of eligible voters on the rolls and at the same time be effective in deleting ineligible names.
This revision is based on electoral rolls from 2002 to 2004. If you were not an eligible voter in the reference year or were born after the reference year, additional supporting documents are required. This could be anything from your mom or dad’s tax return. Those whose names are not found on the lists must show one other document to register. Recruitment documents include birth or caste certificates, passports, school enrolment documents, post-office savings documents and bank statements.
Migrant workers in India typically have a hand-to-mouth existence and are largely engaged in the unorganised sector as domestic workers, cooks, mechanics, car washers, construction labourers etc. Refugee applicants run into particular challenges in compiling the necessary documents. Many of these workers have been in their respective positions for decades. They don’t always have the right paperwork to show that they’re eligible.
In the past, some have questioned whether attending both the SIR and future elections will be logistically possible. One migrant worker, Uma Muniam, said it didn’t seem realistic to plan to go home twice within a month. “Will they be able to travel twice in four months – once for SIR and again for election?” she asked.
During a time of rapidly rising inflation, migrant workers from states like West Bengal have the most to lose. They worry that others would mistakenly identify them as undocumented migrants. Yaser Ali, a concerned worker, highlighted the anxiety surrounding documentation: “Nobody wants to be wrongfully branded as Bangladeshi.” He further voiced concerns about the short notice given for the SIR process, stating, “If this [SIR] helps us, we want to make sure that it is done right. But how do we do it on such short notice?”
The pressure to provide greater documentation for all things is only increasing due to economic factors. Fellow muckraker and UX fellow Anjali Mondol shared her fury. She is unable to take time off work, as her employers only allow leave when there are elections or during some harvest season festivals. “If I take leave now, I will lose my salary. I can’t afford that. And someone else could replace me,” she explained.
Subhashri Doloi echoed similar sentiments, revealing her financial predicament: “I was saving money to travel home in a few months to cast my vote. If I use that money now, how will I go again during the election?”
In India, the Election Commission is very much in favor of the SIR process. They think it’s necessary for preventing that only eligible voters get onto the electoral rolls. This seemingly innocuous exercise has already ignited mass protests in dozens of states. In the past several months, officials have arrested hundreds of individuals on suspicion of their being illegal migrants.
Rajesh Kumar, a Delhi-based trade unionist, pointed out the lack of support systems for migrant workers navigating this complex process. He suggested that “it would be useful if help desks were set up in big cities to assist these workers.”
Yet even with some explicit support for the initiative, the pressure on migrant workers has only increased. Ramdhin Prajapati sees SIR as a temporary surge, but recognizes the continued pressures that workers are experiencing during this time. “Most migrant workers lack job security and the SIR exercise is causing them stress,” Kumar added.
Kusum Devi, another worker, remarked on the uncertainty of the situation: “There has been no problem so far, but I don’t know what will happen now.”