GS Paper: GS Paper II | Subject: Polity | Last updated: 2026-06-18
Prelims
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls (The Hindu, 04-06-2026)
- ~6.5 crore names deleted from electoral rolls across 13 States/UTs under SIR
- 27 lakh cases still under adjudication
- Art. 326: Universal adult suffrage — right to vote
- Art. 324: Election Commission of India as constitutional body
- SIR conducted by ECI to clean up rolls — but deletions disproportionately affected minorities in West Bengal
- Deletion from rolls ≠ non-citizenship (AIMIM's Owaisi, 2026)
- West Bengal 2026 elections: 2,500+ CAPF companies deployed; BJP won first-ever Bengal assembly majority after SIR deletions
SIR rolls out to more States — Haryana & Telangana (The Hindu, 15-06-2026)
- SIR began in Haryana on 15 June (per ECI directions): Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) do door-to-door verification, collecting enumeration forms from 15 June–14 July, with at least 3 attempts per household (else the form is left under the door with a notice)
- 11 categories of documents accepted for verification (incl. ID/pension-payment orders of Central/State govt & PSU staff)
- Haryana: 2.06 crore registered voters, 20,629 polling stations
- Telangana Congress trained cadres on voter mapping & SIR vigilance, alleging BJP- and ECI-facilitated large-scale voter deletions — the SIR-as-political-tool charge now extends beyond Bengal
SC Notice on Aadhaar "Misuse" — Voter Registration (The Hindu, 17-06-2026)
- The SC (CJI Surya Kant + Justice V. Mohana) sought responses from the Centre & States on a PIL (adv. Ashwini Upadhyay) alleging Aadhaar is misused as proof of citizenship/domicile/date-of-birth — letting "infiltrators & illegal immigrants" appear as lawful residents and enrol as voters
- Core legal point: Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, 2016 expressly says Aadhaar is NOT proof of citizenship or domicile (an Aug 2023 UIDAI notification reaffirmed it is only proof of identity); yet Form-6 (fresh voter-registration application) accepts Aadhaar as proof of DOB & residence — said to undermine electoral-roll integrity
- Plea sought: declaring such use "void & inoperative", a complete overhaul of the electoral verification framework, and a high-powered monitoring committee (retired SC judge + cyber/forensic experts)
Assembly Elections 2026 — Results (The Hindu, 04-06-2026)
- Tamil Nadu: TVK (Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam) led by C. Joseph Vijay won — ended ~60-yr DMK-AIADMK duopoly
- West Bengal: BJP won for first time — ousted TMC (Mamata Banerjee) after 15 years
- Kerala: Congress-led UDF won (102/140 seats) — CPI(M) ousted after completing rare back-to-back terms (2016–2026)
- Assam: BJP (Himanta Biswa Sarma) won 2nd consecutive term
- "Double engine sarkar" concept pushed by BJP — same party at Centre and States
Mains
SIR & Electoral Roll Integrity (The Hindu, 04-06-2026)
- Constitutional concern: Art. 326 grants universal adult suffrage; administrative deletion of 6.5 crore names raises questions about voter suppression via process rather than law
- ECI's role: Art. 324 gives ECI superintendence over elections — but SIR process is administrative and can be misused; need for judicial oversight of bulk deletions
- Disenfranchisement without disqualification: Deletion ≠ non-citizen; removes right to vote without any legal process. Violates procedural fairness under Art. 21 (right to life includes political participation)
- Minority impact: In Bengal, deletions disproportionately hit Muslim voters (27% of electorate) → BJP won with no Muslim MLAs in ruling alliance. Pattern suggests SIR as political tool
- Reform needed: Pre-deletion notices, hearings, judicial review of bulk deletions; independent audit of SIR process
2026 Assembly Elections — Political Implications (The Hindu, 04-06-2026)
- Tamil Nadu: TVK's win shows Gen Z voters prioritize governance over ideological/caste identity — end of Dravidian duopoly; similar to how DMK ended Congress dominance in 1967
- Bengal: BJP victory through combination of SIR, CAPF deployment, anti-incumbency (R.G. Kar case), Hindu vote consolidation; raises questions about election integrity
- Kerala: Congress-UDF win with forward caste leader (V.D. Satheesan) suggests shift away from communal formations; Muslim League's continued rise complicates secular politics
- Double engine sarkar debate: Centre's claim that same-party governance improves development outcomes is empirically contested; federalism should allow diverse party outcomes
- GS2 exam angle: Connect to free and fair elections, role of ECI, federalism, political parties, electoral reforms (simultaneous elections debate)