Telangana BJP president N. Ramchander Rao, on Wednesday, advocated a “Detect–Delete–Deport” strategy through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to ensure justice for genuine voters and eliminate illegal and duplicate votes.
Describing the ‘SIR’ as a routine exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to cleanse voter lists, Mr. Rao said the process has been undertaken several times in the past—in 1956, 1965, 1970, 1980, 1990 and most recently in 2002.
“Due to the long gap since the last major revision, several discrepancies have crept into the voter lists because of migration, changes in residence and the deaths of voters,” he told residents of Shilpa Park Apartments in Kondapur. Mr. Rao urged citizens to make use of Forms 6, 7 and 8 for new registrations, deletions and corrections to ensure their voting rights are protected. He expressed concern over falling voter turnout, attributing it to “outdated electoral rolls” and “suspicious” concentrations of voters in certain areas.
The BJP leader alleged that “illegal immigrants”, including Rohingyas, had obtained voter identity cards and Aadhaar cards with the support of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM). He also alleged several “anomalies” in the Old City of Hyderabad, where “hundreds of votes are registered under a single household,” he charged.
