The Election Commission (EC) of India has dismissed fears about mass voter deletion during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The EC told the Supreme Court that such claims are attempts to "politicise" a fair process. The EC pointed to the successful completion of the SIR in Bihar as proof that the accusations are false and speculative. In its affidavit, the EC said, "The exercise [SIR] is aimed at purification of electoral roll. The allegation of mass disenfranchisement levelled by petitioners is an attempt to politicise the exercise to serve vested political interests, and, as has been proven by the successful implementation of SIR in Bihar, untenable." Some petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms and political leaders from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, have called the SIR a "de novo National Registration of Citizens (NRC)." They claim it wrongly shifts the burden onto voters to prove their Indian citizenship to stay on the roll. The EC rejected this view, calling the SIR a "cooperative and participatory exercise" that involves all stakeholders, including electors and political parties. "The involvement of booth level agents and volunteers from the same constituency; house-to-house visits; and filing of claims and objections all ensure the exercise is implemented successfully," the EC said. The EC described the claims-and-objections stage as a kind of "social audit," allowing voters to challenge any wrong entries in the draft electoral roll. For example, in Bihar, the draft roll and a list of 65 lakh people who did not submit forms were shared with political parties at all levels, including reasons for exclusion. This information was also spread online and posted publicly at block offices and panchayat bhavans, following a Supreme Court order from August 14. The EC plans to repeat these transparency steps in the current second phase of SIR across 12 states and union territories, covering over 50 crore people. The EC dismissed calls for additional social audits, explaining, "The SIR order of October 27, 2025 contemplates the posting of all details across all booths, block development offices and websites. There is no requirement to conduct any additional social audit."