A Strategy of Political Marginalization to Structural Disenfranchisement

This analysis by Iftikhar Gilani, senior journalist, examines India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and its implications for the country’s Muslim population. The policy insight traces the evolution of the BJP’s electoral strategy from Hindu consolidation and opposition fragmentation to the restructuring of the electorate through voter-roll revisions. It examines SIR’s expansion across Indian states, the large-scale deletion of voter names, and the potential consequences for politically significant Muslim constituencies. Importantly, the commentary highlights concerns that electoral exclusion could extend into wider administrative and citizenship-related vulnerabilities, potentially transforming political marginalization into structural disenfranchisement.