Polity · 18 Aug 2026

Special Intensive Revision electoral rolls

With reference to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes below:
List-I (Item)
A. N.P. Ponnuswami vs Returning Officer (1952)
B. Representation of the People Act, 1950
C. Bihar's SIR exercise
D. West Bengal's SIR-related cases (as of June 2026)
List-II (Fact)

  1. Ordinary legislation governing the mechanics of electoral roll preparation, not a constitutionally entrenched right
  2. Settled that the right to vote is a statutory, not a fundamental, right
  3. Removed around 70 lakh names, followed by a record 67.25% turnout
  4. Around 36.6 lakh cases remained pending before 19 appellate tribunals
AA-1, B-2, C-4, D-3
BA-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
CA-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
DA-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
This question is based on: The Constitutional Loophole Behind Bengal's "Excluded" Voters
Take this in full test mode → Instructions for 18 Aug 2026
About this question

Why in news

The ECI has stayed largely silent on how many of the roughly 38,000 SIR-related cases its West Bengal tribunals had "disposed of" by June were actual deletions, even as the Supreme Court seeks clarity at an August 25 hearing, while CEC Gyanesh Kumar credited Bihar's SIR exercise for that state's record turnout.

Why for UPSC

The Ponnuswami-derived statutory-versus-fundamental-right distinction for voting is a recurring UPSC favourite; anchoring it to the live SIR controversy tests whether the candidate can separate the enduring constitutional-law point from the shifting current-affairs numbers.

Prelims summary

Voting in India has been a statutory right (not fundamental) since N.P. Ponnuswani vs Returning Officer (1952); the Representation of the People Act, 1950 governs roll mechanics; Bihar's SIR removed ~70 lakh names ahead of a 67.25% turnout, while ~36.6 lakh West Bengal cases remained pending before tribunals as of June 2026.

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