All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi on Sunday, 27 September 2026, renewed his warning that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls could serve as a backdoor route to implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC), urging all those who have received notices under the exercise to respond urgently or risk losing both their voting rights and citizenship.

Owaisi's Core Warning on SIR and NRC

Speaking to reporters in Hyderabad, the Hyderabad MP said the SIR is not merely a voter-list update but a potential precursor to citizenship verification. 'Amit Shah has stated that the NRC will be implemented. It is possible that the NRC could be conducted based on the SIR electoral roll,' Owaisi said, referring to Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

He appealed to notice recipients to visit hearing centres with supporting documents and fill in Form 6. 'You could lose not only your right to vote but also your citizenship,' he cautioned. This is not the first time Owaisi has characterised SIR as an NRC precursor — he has raised the same concern repeatedly since the exercise was announced.

BJP Commission and Demographic Concerns

Owaisi alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has constituted a Commission headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to visit areas where demographic changes have occurred. According to him, the commission would cross-reference the finalised SIR voter lists to identify and detain illegal migrants. He also flagged the role of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), arguing that BLOs had already failed to deliver notices in an earlier phase of the exercise and that tasking them with home visits risked leaving many genuine voters off the rolls.

Election Commission Row

On the ongoing controversy surrounding the Election Commission of India (ECI), Owaisi said the constitutional body had 'totally gone into the executive's control.' He recalled raising objections in Parliament during debate on the legislation that changed the appointment panel for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) — replacing the Chief Justice of India with a Union Minister on the selection committee comprising the Prime Minister, a Union Minister, and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

'The law made for the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner will favour the ruling party, won't it?' he said. He also cited a report in which two Election Commissioners stated they were not being consulted and had expressed objections multiple times. Owaisi called on the government to amend the law only after taking the views of all former Election Commissioners.

AIMIM's Political Stand Ahead of UP Elections

When asked about a potential alliance ahead of the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, Owaisi said the party would announce any such decision in due course. 'If an alliance is formed with anyone, we will let you know,' he said. On the broader political landscape, he drew a sharp distinction between his party's independent position: 'On one side there is NDA, on the other side there is INDI Alliance, and in the middle, there is AIMIM.' He clarified he is part of neither the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) nor the INDIA bloc.

With the SIR exercise still unfolding and UP elections on the horizon, Owaisi's remarks signal that the citizenship-and-voters-roll debate is likely to intensify in the months ahead.