Discuss the constitutional and statutory framework governing revision of electoral rolls in India. In light of the Manipur SIR, examine the risks such exercises pose to electoral inclusion in conflict-affected states.

Q. Discuss the constitutional and statutory framework governing revision of electoral rolls in India. In light of the Manipur SIR, examine the risks such exercises pose to electoral inclusion in conflict-affected states. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

An accurate electoral roll is the operational form of universal adult franchise under Article 326. The Election Commission of India's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which reached Manipur in its third phase, shows how a legally sound roll-revision exercise can strain inclusion when conducted amid active conflict.

Constitutional framework - Article 324 vests superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls in the ECI, insulating the exercise from executive control. - Article 325 bars exclusion from any roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex; Article 326 makes citizenship, age and ordinary residence the sole qualifications.

Statutory framework - The Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Part III) mandates preparation of a roll for every constituency and its revision before each election [1]. - The Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 prescribe enumeration, draft publication, claims and objections, and appeal to the District Magistrate against an ERO's order. - Under SIR, Booth Level Officers conduct house-to-house enumeration; deletion is permitted only for death, permanent shifting, duplication or untraceability, with repeated visits and recorded reasons as safeguards [2].

Risks in conflict-affected states - Displacement defeats "ordinary residence": tens of thousands displaced by Manipur's ethnic violence since May 2023 live in relief camps or outside the State, and risk being classed "untraceable". - Documentary barriers: IDPs who lost papers in the violence struggle to furnish residence proof, converting verification into de facto disenfranchisement. - Compressed timelines: Manipur's draft roll appeared on 5 July 2026 with the final roll due 6 September 2026 — a short claims window for camp-based electors [3]. - Trust deficit: hill and valley communities read the same exercise oppositely — as silent exclusion or as demographic manipulation — eroding legitimacy. - Downstream stakes: rolls feed delimitation and reservation of seats, magnifying any error.

Purification of rolls and inclusion are complementary, not competing, goals. Conflict-affected States need a calibrated SIR — camp-based enumeration, self-declaration in lieu of lost documents, special polling arrangements for IDPs, and extended objection windows with all-party monitoring. Only such context-sensitive administration can keep the ECI's constitutional mandate faithful to the promise of Article 326.

(~330 words)

Sources: 1. The Representation of the People Act, 1950 (Act 43 of 1950), India Code — statutory duty to prepare and revise electoral rolls for every constituency 2. PIB: ECI's Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls Being Conducted in Phases with Multiple Safeguards — BLO house-to-house enumeration, four permitted deletion grounds, anti-deletion safeguards 3. Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur — SIR of Electoral Roll — Manipur SIR schedule: draft roll 5 July 2026, final roll 6 September 2026