Congress in Telangana raises concerns over 'hurried' SIR, seeks extended timeline

Congress alleged that in 14 states, SIR had been misused as a tool for electoral manipulation.

Hyderabad: As the Election Commission is gearing up to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Telangana, the ruling Congress has raised concerns over the rushed pace of the exercise, urging that it be spread over one and a half to two years rather than compressed into two to three months.

A Congress delegation led by PCC chief and MLC B Mahesh Kumar Goud met Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C Sudarshan Reddy on Friday, presenting a formal representation seeking key changes to the SIR process.

"In several states, SIR exercises conducted hastily ahead of elections have caused confusion, anxiety, and public distrust. Given these experiences, the 2026 SIR in Telangana should not be rushed. Since no major elections are scheduled in the next two to three years, the process may suitably be spread over one and a half to two years. Adequate time would help resolve objections, ease public concerns, and reduce administrative pressure," said Goud.

He noted that the last SIR exercise in the combined state of Andhra Pradesh was conducted in 2002 over nearly three months. In the 25 years since, Telangana's voter rolls have grown substantially from 5.11 crore voters in the 2004 Assembly Elections across combined Andhra Pradesh to 3.35 crore voters in Telangana alone as of 2025 significantly increasing the administrative workload.

Goud also flagged concerns about the overlap with the ongoing Census exercise. "Many officials may be assigned duties in both exercises simultaneously. Overburdening the same personnel with both responsibilities is unfair to officials and citizens alike, and we strongly oppose it," he said.

Among the delegation's key demands were that supplying recognised political parties with electoral rolls from 2002 and 2025 in both OCR/machine-readable soft copy and hard copy formats, making it mandatory for BLOs to record voter verifications through prescribed forms or the Garuda app; and requiring proof of at least three home visits, supported by geo-tagged photographs.

Goud further raised concerns about irregularities in the pre-SIR phase. "In several areas, BLOs are conducting voter mapping at fixed locations alongside certain political party leaders, instead of carrying out the mandatory door-to-door verification as required by the ECI. Some BLOs are mapping voters without proper verification, and once a voter is incorrectly mapped to an unknown individual, it cannot be corrected, creating serious problems for genuine voters. We request that corrections be permitted where errors have occurred," he said, urging the CEO to issue strict instructions to all DEOs and EROs to ensure compliance and prevent undue political influence.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Goud alleged that in 14 states, SIR had been misused as a tool for electoral manipulation. "Bengal is the clearest example. 90 lakh votes were deleted and 60 lakh were added, altering the political outcome and costing the rightful winner the election. In Telangana, with no elections due for two years, there is no justification for haste. The process must be given at least a year, BLOs must conduct three verified home visits, and the rights of poor voters who often lack documentation must be protected. Under the garb of SIR, there is a real danger that votes of secular-minded citizens are being systematically erased," he said.