MP Sanjay Singh Submits Notice in Rajya Sabha to Discuss SIR-Linked Scams and BLO Deaths

• 16 BLOs Have Died in Just 19 Days Due to Workload, Mental Stress, and Fear of Suspension – Sanjay Singh
• SIR Demands New Documents from Existing Voters, Difficult for Common Citizens to Provide – Sanjay Singh
• Are 6.5 Million Names Deleted in Bihar to Disenfranchise Migrants, Women, Minorities? – Sanjay Singh
• Hastily Conducted SIR in 12 States Without Addressing Issues Risks Large-Scale Disenfranchisement – Sanjay Singh

New Delhi, Dec 2025 : Sanjay Singh, senior leader of the Aam Aadmi Party and Member of Parliament, on Monday submitted a notice in the Rajya Sabha demanding discussion on scams linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and the continuing deaths of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across the country. He stated that in just 19 days, 16 BLOs have died due to the excessive workload, mental stress, and fear of punitive actions or suspension. The SIR exercise has also required existing voters to provide new documents, which is extremely difficult for ordinary citizens. The rush to implement SIR in 12 states without correcting these shortcomings has significantly increased the risk of large-scale disenfranchisement. He appealed to the Rajya Sabha to immediately halt SIR, restore the voter list, and hold the Election Commission accountable.

Sanjay Singh submitted the notice under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha (notice for suspension of rules). The notice calls for discussion in the House regarding arbitrary deletion of voters, deaths of BLOs, risk of disenfranchisement, and the serious implications for Articles 14, 21, and 326 of the Constitution. He highlighted that the SIR process, intended to update and clean the voter list, has instead resulted in arbitrary deletions, procedural violations, and widespread human distress, threatening the fairness of elections nationwide.

He pointed out that in Bihar, 6.5 million voters’ names were removed without proper verification, and in several constituencies, the number of deletions exceeded previous winning margins. This disproportionately affects migrants, women, minorities, and vulnerable groups, raising concerns about deliberate disenfranchisement. Lack of appeal mechanisms and opaque procedures further demonstrate the failure of due process and transparency.

Sanjay Singh emphasized that the SIR process has placed unbearable pressure on BLOs, causing a human crisis. Within 19 days (by the end of November 2025), at least 16 BLOs died, including suicides. The causes include excessive workload, mental stress, sleepless nights, unsafe field conditions, fear of punitive actions based on performance rankings, frequent app failures, and unrealistic targets, creating a hazardous work environment.

He further stated that the Election Commission’s timelines are arbitrary and unfeasible. The second phase of SIR requires verification completion by December 4, 2025—leaving barely a month for house-to-house verification, form processing, and digitization. By contrast, the 2003 voter list revision took six to eight months, allowing adequate time for verification and corrections. Unlike the 2003 guidelines, which considered existing voter IDs as valid proof, the 2025 SIR demands new documents from current voters, which is extremely difficult for ordinary citizens.

Sanjay Singh noted that even the Supreme Court expressed concern over the burden of documents required by SIR, highlighting the process as unrealistic and disenfranchising. Despite these failures in Bihar, the Commission expanded the second phase of SIR from November 19, 2025, to 12 states, 321 districts, and 51 crore voters, dramatically increasing the risk of large-scale disenfranchisement and threatening electoral credibility.

He warned that this endangers voting rights under Article 326, equality before law under Article 14, and free and fair elections under Article 21. Singh urged immediate parliamentary intervention to halt SIR, restore voter lists, and ensure accountability of the Election Commission. He requested the Secretary-General of the Rajya Sabha to suspend proceedings under Rule 267 for urgent discussion on this critical national issue.