India Election Commission to forward suspected foreign voter data to authorities

The Election Commission of India has instructed its state poll machinery to refer cases of "suspected foreign nationals" to competent authorities under the Citizenship Act, 1955, as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list. Booth Level Officers will note probable causes for missing or irregular enumeration forms.

Phase III of SIR, launched on May 14, covers 36.73 crore electors in 16 states and three Union Territories, including opposition‑ruled Punjab, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Telangana. More than 3.94 lakh BLOs and 3.42 lakh booth‑level agents appointed by political parties will conduct house‑to‑house verification.

The EC previously claimed to have identified nationals from Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, but released no figures. Opposition parties have described the exercise as a ploy to target voters not aligned with the BJP. Earlier SIR phases reduced electoral rolls by about 10.2%, removing over 60 lakh dead entries and bringing the total list down to 45.81 crore voters.