Further deepening the Election Commission of India controversy around dissent, a new issue has emerged over the Special Summary Revision (SSR), an exercise aimed at ensuring the inclusion of newly eligible 18-year-old voters in the electoral rolls.
The Economic Times flagged that there is reported disagreement within the three-member Election Commission over whether the annual SSR should be conducted while the more intensive Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is under way in some states. The exercise is normally carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) annually. Following the report, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of being fearful of ‘Gen Z’ voters. This is a PM who fears the youth having dashed their hopes and aspirations. Think of it as the Election Commission’s routine clean-up of the voter lists. In this exercise, the authorities enrol people who have newly become eligible to vote, allow eligible citizens to apply to get on the rolls, fix mistakes in the existing lists, update personal details, sort out mismatches or discrepancies, refresh photographs and other information on the rolls, and invite the public to file claims or objections.
The Economic Times report flagged a halt in the Special Summary Revision (SSR) since 2024. Taking to his X account, Ramesh said, “PM has ensured that the Special Summary Revisions of electoral rolls has been stopped since 2024 to ensure that Gen Z voters are not enrolled. The Special Summary Revision (SSR) is a routine yearly process to update the electoral rolls and include the names of new 18-year-old voters.
