Hyderabad: The All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA) on Friday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to introduce gender-sensitive safeguards in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that women, transgender persons and minority communities face a higher risk of exclusion due to systemic barriers.In a representation to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, the alliance sought an extension of the SIR timeline, alternative documentation for women, migrants, homeless and transgender persons, gender-friendly help desks, publication of gender-disaggregated data, social audits, and a mechanism to restore eligible voters omitted from the revised rolls. It also urged the ECI to clarify that exclusion from the SIR electoral rolls does not amount to denial of citizenship.ALIFA, a network affiliated with the National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), said electoral roll revisions must ensure that no eligible voter is left out. Citing ECI data from the first two phases of the SIR in 13 states and Union Territories, it claimed the revised rolls contained 8.9% fewer living voters and alleged that women, transgender persons and minorities, particularly Muslims, were deleted at disproportionately higher rates. It also alleged that revised rolls in Bihar, Rajasthan and West Bengal showed a decline in the gender ratio.The alliance argued that the current eligibility framework’s reliance on lineage, kinship and household relationships disadvantages women who migrate after marriage, transgender persons estranged from their families, homeless persons and migrants. It urged the ECI to accept alternative documents, including marriage invitation cards and records showing women as parents in children’s birth or school certificates, for applicants who have Aadhaar, ration cards or voter identity cards but lack other proof.For transgender voters, ALIFA sought acceptance of gazette notifications and transgender identity certificates as valid documents, alternative methods for establishing eligibility for those estranged from their families, and implementation of the principle of self-determination of gender recognised by the Supreme Court and the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, pending rules under the Transgender Amendment Act, 2026.The alliance also sought written protocols, anti-discrimination training, travel support and helplines for booth-level officers, besides accountability for non-distribution or wrongful rejection of forms. It urged the ECI to review “logical discrepancy” criteria that could adversely affect married women who changed their names and women who had children at a young age.ALIFA further called for publication of booth-wise, Assembly constituency-wise and district-wise gender-disaggregated data on additions, deletions and restorations of names, independent monitoring through spot checks and social audits, a one-year window to restore eligible voters excluded during the SIR without requiring fresh registration, withdrawal of the proposed tribunal mechanism for determining voter eligibility, and a formal clarification that exclusion from the revised electoral rolls does not amount to denial of citizenship.
