Parakala Prabhakar on the ECI, SIR and the deletion of voters | South Central 95

In this week's episode of South Central, hosts Pooja Prasanna and Anisha Sheth speak with political economist Dr Parakala Prabhakar about the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and voter deletions. The discussion evaluates an Indian Express investigation into the ECI and scrutinises the poll body's response regarding Form 6 applications and voter inclusions. Dr Prabhakar explains that the Chief Election Commissioner acts as "first among equals" rather than a supreme authority. He questions whether the massive scale of voter deletions aligns with India's growing population and examines its impact on the legitimacy and credibility of both past and future elections. Additionally, the hosts and guest explore how voter removals risk erasing citizens from the political consciousness of parties and analyse the link between SIR and delimitation. Tune into the full episode! Subscribe to Newslaundry: https://pages.razorpay.com/nlsm Join the NL-TNM Book Club: https://www.newslaundry.com/book-club Join us on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va61... Download the accessible Newslaundry app: https://www.newslaundry.com/download-app Follow and engage with us on social media: Facebook:   / newslaundry   Twitter:   / newslaundry   Instagram:   / newslaundry