Citizenship, Demography, and Electoral Integrity: Time to End the Politics of Evasion

India is not a land of hypothesis & postulation. It is a sovereign democratic republic governed by a written Constitution, shadowed by the rule of law, and steered by the will of its people expressed through free & transparent processes. Today, as a Nation, while maturing and advancing in life, we have reached a peculiar nonlinear trajectory where we are forced to fall steep down in the clefts & chinks if manufactured hysteria around a fundamental administrative exercise, Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is so deliberately maintained The Opposition’s chorus against SIR is not just misplaced; it is revealing. India’s electoral process stands as one of the among the largest and most steadfast democratic undertakings in modern history. most gigantic & enduring democratic enterprises in history of democratic institutions. With nearly a billion voters, the breadth and structural intricacies & complexity of its conduct put the combined electoral operations of nearly 90 nations, to an embarrassment & forced introspection. It is incomprehensible that if the Opposition bloc wins in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh & Telangana, the electoral lists & related exercise are not objected to however when the opposition loses, they shamelessly & relentlessly shout from rooftops about everything wrong with the electoral rolls, methodology & EVMs. Ironically, when electoral outcomes tilt in their favour, they remain stunningly & mysteriously silent on successful accomplishment of electoral exercise.

Why Should Citizenship Be Assumed, Not Proven?

In any constitutional democracy, citizenship ought to be verified not presumed. While the Election Commission does not determine citizenship status, yet the election commission is embellished with constitutional right to prepare, maintain & update the electoral lists which are directly linked to the status of citizenship. Hence the determination of citizenship is not the direct fall out due to revision of electoral rolls but certainly it casts a meaningful impact on the right of citizenship per se. The Right to Vote flows from the status of citizenship and it is the duty of the Election Commission to ensure that only genuine citizens are enrolled as voters.

Thus, the SIR process is not designed to exclude any eligible voter but to weed out duplications, non-citizens and deceased individuals from the electoral rolls. Bihar has emerged as a case study in electoral irregularities. In six border districts, official records show the number of voters surpassing the total population, an arithmetical and demographic impossibility. How can a district with 20 lakh people have 22 lakh voters? If one is a lawful citizen with documents in order as is required in every field from ration to recruitment, what must be the fear in undergoing a transparent revision process?

The Opposition takes a pessimistic course by citing examples of floods & calamities which drown people along with documents. If that is the case, how are the people getting the documents freshly made on a yearly basis? Do we get divorced from our basic documents at mass scale, as is being projected by the Opposition? Tomorrow the students/candidates/aspirants for the particular jobs may come with an alibi of not having documents/papers as they are so troubled & drenched in monsoon that they cannot produce the same. We may recall CAA days when unfounded fear & anxiety were served to the Nation with massacred facts & speculative consequences with a spirit of jingoism had surfaced accordingly.

Bihar: Where Numbers Don’t Add Up

The state of Bihar has become a case study in electoral abnormalities. There are documented instances where the number of voters surpassed the total population in particularly 6 border Districts. How can a district with, say, a population of 20 lakh have 22 lakh voters? Such distortions call for scrutiny, not silence. What’s more alarming is that such trends are often observed in specific pockets with significant concentrations of a particular community, raising valid concerns about demographic engineering. Is this not a threat to electoral fairness?

Is Demographic Change a Conspiracy Theory or a Real Concern?

Demographic change is not just a statistical event but is a civilizational turning point. Left unaddressed, it can undermine national unity, democratic institutions and create irreversible social fractures. Demographic changes lead to social, political, economic, cultural, and national security concerns. Demographic change in border districts (e.g., Bihar, West Bengal, Assam) increases vulnerability to:

(i) Cross-border infiltration,

(ii) Espionage, and

(iii) Terrorist networks using sympathetic sleeper cells

Bangladesh, Myanmar (Rohingya) and Nepal corridors have seen systematic demographic influx. The issue must be debated objectively, not emotionally, and handled firmly but constitutionally. When one community’s rapid population escalation begins to change the local balance, sectarian anxiety and ghettoization increase. Undocumented populations compete for scarce resources like jobs, housing, water, education, and healthcare without contributing proportionately to the tax system.

Influx of foreign ideology and cross-border influences can radicalize susceptible populations. When the Opposition selectively embattled the term “demographic change”, they accused others of fear- mongering. But why then do they resist any audit of that very change? If the data is clean, let it be verified. If the numbers are honest, why the obstruction? Demographic shifts due to illegal immigration or vote-bank appeasement cannot be brushed under the carpet anymore. In a democracy, ignoring facts for political correctness is dishonesty. Indigenous populations may lose political representation to incoming or growing groups especially when such shifts alter not just voting patterns but resource distribution, law and order, and social cohesion. Illegal or undocumented populations compete for scarce resources like jobs, housing, water, education and healthcare without contributing proportionately to the tax system. Census, welfare schemes, and economic planning get skewed. Voter data, health indicators, employment estimates, all become unreliable. Articles relating to citizenship (Articles 5 to 11), electoral roll preparation, and the Representation of the People Act become dead letters if the demographic base is corrupted.

Floods, Administration, and Hypocrisy

The Opposition now cries foul that the SIR was ordered while Bihar faced floods. If calamity is a reason to suspend governance, should we also suspend ration delivery, law enforcement, or emergency relief? Democracy cannot be paused by geography or weather. Administrative reforms must continue, especially when they target systemic rot. Was the Opposition as vociferous when elections were held during floods, pandemics, or curfews?

Legal Identity is a Civic Norm, Not a Burden

Let us not infantilize the public. Every Indian be it from Bihar or Bengaluru carries Aadhaar, ration card, or voter ID for day-to-day needs. To pretend that legal documentation is an elite concept is an insult to the dignity of common citizens. It is only those with motivated interests in fake entries who resist documentation. It is not a question of caste or community — it is a question of constitutional fidelity.

The Opposition’s Real Fear: Polarisation Backfiring

Let’s be honest — elections today are more polarised than ever, not because of the BJP, but because of the reckless communal rhetoric of the Opposition. From insulting Hindu festivals to ridiculing “Sanatan Dharma”, from opposing CAA to romanticising the idea of “vote jihad”, the Opposition has alienated the very majority it once sought to lead. Now, sensing that polarisation may consolidate the Hindu vote, they seek refuge in identity-based consolidation of minorities. It is electoral desperation — not ideological clarity.

Dead Voters and Living Lies

The Election Commission’s attempt to clean electoral rolls by removing deceased voters is being called “anti-minority”. How absurd can the discourse get? Should democracy be hostage to ghost voters, duplicate entries, or undocumented migrants? Should cleaning voter rolls be seen through a communal lens, or as a matter of electoral hygiene?

The Nation Deserves Better

Inflated voter rolls due to illegal immigrants or manipulated identities can swing electoral outcomes. Indigenous populations may lose political representation to incoming or growing groups. Vote-bank politics replaces developmental politics, as parties cater to identity blocs rather than issues. Parliament is not a street protest zone. Parliament is not a battleground for selective outrage. The Opposition must stop disrupting national interest with daily melodrama and start engaging with facts. India’s democracy is not an inheritance to be squandered; it is a responsibility to be protected. Our electoral integrity, demographic balance, and constitutional ethos are not negotiable. If the Opposition truly believes in democracy, let it strengthen its institutions, not sabotage them. The citizens of this nation, Hindu, Muslim, Bihari, Bengali, tribal or urban deserve a system where every vote is real, every voter is verified, and every government is truly representative.

Let us not be governed by the ghosts of votes past, but by the will of the people who are honest, lawful, and proud to be Indian. The Opposition must engage with data, not drama. India’s electoral integrity, demographic stability, and administrative discipline are not negotiable. In the last one year, Shenanigans outside Parliament displayed by the Opposition has become a common sight. Where should the representatives be, inside or outside is a moot question which needs to be replied by the Opposition.

(The author is a veteran Indian Army officer turned Lawyer cum ‘Faculty in practice’ . He possesses multiple experience spanning 39 years in public and government domains ranging from administration/Management, law practice & teaching legal subjects for over 39 years. Presently, he is a member, Supreme Court Bar Association and Delhi High Court Bar Association)