Congress to EC: Conduct SIR in TG for 2 Years, Not 3 Months

Hyderabad:The Congress expressed concerns over the scheduling of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral roll in Telangana from next month. The Congress delegation led by TPCC chief B. Mahesh Kumar Goud met Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy, on Friday and submitted a representation urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to conduct the SIR exercise in a fair, transparent and impartial manner without rushing the process.

It urged ECI not to conduct the SIR in haste within 2-3 months and suggested that it be undertaken over a period of one and a half to two years as no major elections were scheduled in Telangana in that time. This would reduce administrative pressure and enable proper disposal of objections. It also opposed assigning census duties and SIR responsibilities simultaneously to the same officials, stating that it would overburden government staff.

The Congress stated that SIR conducted hurriedly in some states before the elections there had led to confusion, anxiety and distrust among citizens. Referring to the SIR in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2002, the Congress pointed out that the exercise was carried out over nearly three months, whereas the voter population has now increased significantly. The party said Telangana has more than 3.35 crore voters and therefore the revision exercise should be implemented in phases and in a meticulous manner.

The party demanded that recognised political parties be supplied electoral rolls of 2002 and 2025 in both soft and hard copy formats. It also sought extension of objection periods to at least two months and a minimum three-month period for citizens to respond to notices issued during the revision process.

Raising concerns over deletion of voter names, the Congress demanded mandatory seven-day written notices before deletion and at least one month for response before any decision is taken. The party called for fresh registration and training of booth level agents (BLAs) before the exercise began, and insisted that booth level officers (BLOs) should record voter verification through geo-tagged photographs and Garuda app entries.

Citing incidents such as the Chilume Trust scam in Karnataka, the TPCC urged strict vigilance to prevent fake registrations and misuse of Form-7 applications for bulk deletion of voters. It also demanded transparency in sharing ASD (absent, shifted, dead) lists and proposed deletion lists with recognised political parties in digital formats within 48 hours.

The Chilume Trust scam refers to alleged voter data theft by an NGO, Chilume Educational Cultural and Rural Development Trust. The trust, hired by the local municipality to conduct voter awareness programmes, allegedly illegally collected personal voter information

The Congress stated that voter names should not be deleted merely due to software discrepancies such as spelling variations or duplicate photographs without physical verification. It sought special protection for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, economically weaker sections and migrant workers communities during the revision process.

The Congress also objected to any indirect demand for proof of citizenship during the SIR, stating that the Supreme Court had clarified that the Election Commission could not insist on citizenship proof. It alleged irregularities during the ongoing pre-SIR process, including BLOs conducting verification in the presence of political party leaders instead of door-to-door visits, delays in payment of honorarium to BLOs and alleged misuse of BLO login credentials by political activists during midnight verification drives.

The party urged the CEO to issue strict instructions to district election authorities to ensure impartial implementation of the exercise and safeguard citizens’ constitutional right to vote.