After successfully conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the second phase of SIR in 12 states across the country, including Gujarat. This second phase of the SIR began on 4th November. Meanwhile, reports emerged from an area in the Bapunagar assembly constituency of Ahmedabad about some Muslim names being found in the voter list of the area, where only Hindu and Christian families reside. Locals questioned the inclusion of Muslim names in the voter list since there is no Muslim population in the area.
OpIndia visited the area and talked to locals to find out the details. The residents told OpIndia that they support the SIR exercise and that it should be initiated as soon as possible to remove fake names from the voter list.
Muslim names were also found included in the voter lists of Hindu-majority areas like Prerna Society and Narottamdasni Chali in Rakhial, Bapunagar assembly constituency, Ahmedabad. However, locals said that no Muslims reside in this area and that the addresses mentioned before the Muslim names in the voter list do not even exist in the locality.
From what the locals told OpIndia, it was clear that the area had been inhabited by Hindu and Christian families for years. We spoke to several other locals who corroborated the information. One local, who had been living in the locality for years, said that no Muslim family ever lived in the locality and that the Muslim names in the voter list were fake. He also said that the SIR exercise should be conducted to remove bogus names from the voter list.
Another local named Kanubhai spoke to OpIndia and said that he has been living in the Prerna Society since childhood. He said that none of the Muslim names mentioned in the voter list belong to anyone in the society. He added that a proper verification should be conducted, and only the names of those who actually reside in the society should be included in the voter list.
Similarly, an elderly woman, who had been living in this society for approximately 40 years, mentioned that no Muslim person lives in her lane and only people from the Hindu community reside there. She also said that some incorrect names have been added to the voter list.
Speaking to OpIndia, a young man, about 18-19 years old, said that he has been living in this society since birth. He also said that only Hindus live in both this chawl (tenement) and the society, there are no Muslims. He added that if fake names of voters have appeared in the voter list, they should be immediately corrected. He added that an SIR exercise is important to update voter rolls and remove fake names from them.
A local named Maheshbhai, who has been living in the area for 53 years, also repeated similar facts, speaking to OpIndia. He said, “I have been living here since birth, and I am not aware of any Muslim person buying or renting a house in this chawl or society.” He suspected that this could be a conspiracy and demanded an investigation into how the names of people from the Muslim community appeared on the voter list of a Hindu-majority area.
Regarding the verification of voter registration in the SIR process, he said, “Voter list verification is a correct measure. Verification must be done. This matter could have serious repercussions in the future, so it is right to stop it at the outset. It will be difficult to deal with it all at once after the matter escalates, so the process that is currently underway is correct.”
જે વ્યક્તિ જન્મથી આ વિસ્તારમાં રહે છે તેઓએ જણાવ્યું કે અહીંયા છેલ્લા 50 વર્ષોમાં ના તો કોઈ મુસ્લિમે મકાન ખરીદ્યું છે, ના તો કોઈ ભાડે રહેવા આવ્યા છે… છતાય જો મતદારયાદીમાં મુસ્લિમ નામ હોય તો તે કોઈ ષડયંત્ર હોવું જોઈએ.
— ઑપઇન્ડિયા (@OpIndia_G) November 6, 2025
બાપુનગર વિધાનસભાની મતદાર યાદીમાં હિંદુ વસ્તીમાં ખોટા… pic.twitter.com/Ntt7sPRml2
It is noteworthy that before every election, the voter list undergoes a revision process, but it is not reviewed from scratch, which results in such shortcomings. Processes like SIR are essential for a comprehensive verification of the electoral rolls. The error in voter lists in the Bapunagar area demonstrates why SIR is necessary not just in Gujarat but also in the rest of the country. Decades after the last SIR, the Election Commission is revising and verifying the entire voter list to remove bogus names and ensure that eligible and qualified voters are not left out.
This SIR was conducted successfully in Bihar, and it has now commenced in a total of 12 states and Union Territories, including Gujarat, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh. Under the SIR, BLOs will conduct door-to-door verification to verify documentary evidence and remove incorrect names from the voter list. This extensive exercise, aimed at removing fraudulent voters, will last for a month. Therefore, those whose names have been removed will be given ample opportunity to appeal. After the appeal period is over, a final voter list is likely to be published in February next year.
In Gujarat, there have been frequent cases where Bangladeshi infiltrators have created forged documents. If such illegal immigrants are also included in the voter list, they can be identified and their names can be removed from the voter list through SIR.
