“Facts are sacred, opinion is free,” goes the old journalistic maxim. It is a reminder worth invoking when the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar, described the recent high polling percentages as a “validation” of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Let the facts speak first. Assam recorded an impressive 85.8 percent turnout, Puducherry an even higher 91.2 percent, and Kerala 78.2 percent. Such participation is undeniably commendable. It reflects citizens’ faith in the democratic process and their willingness to engage with it.

High voter turnout is always a healthy sign in any democracy. However, the leap from participation to “validation” of an administrative exercise is neither obvious nor........

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