Did SIR Alter Votes? What the Numbers Say

During the SIR hearings before the apex court, Supreme Court judge, Justice Joymalya Bagchi had said, “If 10% of the electorate does not vote and the winning margin is more than 10%…what will happen? Suppose the margin is 2% and 15% of [the] electorate who are mapped could not vote?” Electoral outcomes in fiercely contested regions are often decided by razor-thin margins, where every vote counts. Aparna Bhattacharya finds that the constituency-level data suggests that the SIR was not just a routine roll-cleaning exercise in West Bengal. Its political significance comes from one central fact – in a large number of seats, the number of deleted voters was larger than the winning margin. Join The Wire's Youtube Membership and get exclusive content, member-only emojis, live interaction with The Wire's founders, editors and reporters and much more. Memberships to The Wire Crew start at Rs 89/month. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChWtJey46brNr7qHQpN6KLQ/join