{
  "id": 12657215,
  "title": "SIR row leaves young voters divided: Some doubt electoral process, others says trust intact",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/sir-row-leaves-young-voters-divided-some-doubt-electoral-process",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-07T15:40:47.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/sir-electoral-rolls-controversy-eci-internal-emails-gen-z-voters-10911319/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The ongoing dispute over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of India's electoral rolls has left young voters divided in their confidence in the nation's electoral system. Some believe the controversy has eroded their trust in the fairness of elections, while others argue their faith remains intact. An examination by The Indian Express has uncovered that, within a span of 10 months, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had each emailed officials about decisions that were taken without their approval, concerning the centralization of ECINET, changes in Form 6, and other matters. For Pratik Agarwal, a 23-year-old recent MBA graduate in Sports Management, his confidence in the electoral process has not diminished. He believes that young people ought to comprehend the purpose of SIR before forming an opinion. This revision was aimed at eliminating inactive, duplicate, migrated, or fake voters from the electoral list, ensuring every valid Indian citizen gets to vote. However, 22-year-old political science graduate Nikhil Kumar feels his confidence has diminished. He expressed concern that if votes are taken before individuals even begin the voting process, what kind of democracy remains. Rohan Shinde, a 21-year-old, also reported a decline in his confidence, asserting that the controversy has only confirmed his existing doubts about the integrity of the electoral process. Sharwari Potdar, a 23-year-old, described the situation as complex, noting that both the Election Commission's functioning and the SIR process have raised questions. She expressed worry over valid voters being removed from the electoral rolls, deeming it unjust. Not all young voters, however, see the controversy as enough reason to lose faith in elections themselves. 19-year-old Mehek Yadav, for instance, maintains her trust in elections, stating the votes are counted by Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and not tampered with. For Gen Z, the debate over SIR has raised more questions than it has answered. While some young voters trust the Election Commission and the electoral process, others question whether every eligible vote will be protected. As young voters constitute an increasingly significant part of the electorate, their perception of the credibility and transparency of the election process could have broader implications for public trust in Indian democracy.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Young voters divided on trust in electoral process due to SIR controversy",
    "Election Commissioners raised concerns about decisions taken without approval",
    "Perception of credibility and transparency may impact public trust in Indian democracy"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}