Now NDA ally TDP raises concerns over SIR, asks EC to 'explicitly' clarify non-relation to citizenship verification

New Delhi: In what could be seen as echoing Opposition concerns, a key NDA ally TDP on Tuesday asked the Election Commission to “clearly define” the contours of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and “explicitly” communicate that it is not related to citizenship verification.

It asked the EC to conduct SIR with “sufficient lead time, ideally not within six months of any major election”, in an apparent reference to conducting the Bihar SIR in June-July with just months left for Assembly polls in the state that has invited criticism from I.N.D.I.A parties.

TDP also suggested an annual third-party audits under CAG to identify anomalies in electoral rolls, use of AI-driven tool to flag duplication, migration and deceased entries in real-time, Aadhaar-based cross verification, rotation of Booth Level Officers and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and targeted re-enrollment for migrant workers and tribal groups.

The issues were raised by a TDP delegation led by Lok Sabha floor leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayulu when they met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi. The Opposition has raised concerns about Bihar SIR and approached the Supreme Court, which will have its next hearing on the issue on July 28.

“As Andhra Pradesh is not due for Assembly elections until 2029, the TDP recognises that any future SIR provides valuable opportunity to ensure that the electoral rolls are updated in a fair, inclusive and transparent manner,” it said adding, there should be “adequate time and advance notification” before carrying out such exercises.

“The purpose of SIR must be clearly defined and limited to electoral roll correction and inclusion. It should be explicitly communicated that the exercise is not related to citizenship verification, and any field instructions must reflect this distinction,” the delegation said in a memorandum.

Amid Bihar SIR making the 2003 electoral roll as the base, the TDP said voters who are already enrolled in the “most recent certified electoral roll” should not be required to re-establish their eligibility unless specific and verifiable reasons are recorded and quoted the Supreme Court judgement where it emphasised that prior inclusion creates a presumption of validity and any deletion must be preceded by a valid inquiry.

The burden of proof lies with the ERO or objector, not the voter, especially when the name exists in the official roll, it said. TDP also flagged high levels of seasonal migration, particularly from rural and coastal regions of Andhra. During the SIR, it said, mobile Booth Level Officer units should be deployed and Booth Level Officers must accept temporary address declarations to prevent their exclusion from rolls.

Requesting the EC to issue clear procedural guidance stating that deletion of any voter must be based on a reasoned order, proper notice, and an opportunity to respond, it said “where voters are unable to submit documents at the time of visit, stage-wise verification should be permitted, instead of immediate exclusion.”