Telangana Congress raises concerns over SIR; wants process spread over two years, physical notice before deleting voter’s name

A delegation of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) met with Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C Sudharshan Reddy in Hyderabad on Friday (May 15, 2026).

| Photo Credit: NGARA GOPAL

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) met Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarshan Reddy and submitted a detailed memorandum expressing concerns and suggestions regarding the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State.A delegation led by TPCC president Bomma Mahesh Kumar Goud, and consisting Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, MLAs Naveen Yadav, Ganesh and Kavampalli Satyanarayana, MPs Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy and Anil Kumar Yadav and the party’s Election Commission Coordination Committee, led by chairman Pulipati Rajesh Kumar, met the CEO in Hyderabad on Friday (May 15, 2026) and urged the Election Commission to ensure that the voter list revision process is carried out in a fair, transparent and impartial manner.In the representation, the Congress party highlighted concerns over the scale of the exercise, pointing out that nearly 25 years had passed since the last SIR conducted in 2002 in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh. The party noted that the voter population had increased significantly since then and sought a phased and carefully planned revision process instead of a hurried exercise.The memorandum suggested that the SIR process be spread over one-and-half to two years, arguing that there were no major elections scheduled in the immediate future. According to the party, such a timeline would help reduce administrative pressure, allow sufficient time for objections and corrections, and minimise public anxiety.The Congress leaders also objected to assigning dual responsibilities to government staff engaged in both census-related work and electoral revision duties. They sought separate manpower deployment to avoid administrative burden and ensure efficiency.Seeks 2002 and 2025 voter list copiesAmong the key demands made by the party were providing recognised political parties with soft and hard copies of voter lists from 2002 and 2025, extending the objection and notice period to at least one month, ensuring physical notice before deleting any voter’s name, and conducting proper field verification before any deletion based on software discrepancies.Geo-tag proof of BLOs house visitsThe party also stressed the importance of transparency in the functioning of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs). It demanded geo-tagged proof of house visits by BLOs, mandatory training for BLAs, and timely sharing of ASD (Absent, Shifted, Dead) voter lists with recognised political parties.Congress alleges irregularities in pre-SIR mapping processThe memorandum referred to alleged irregularities in the ongoing pre-SIR mapping process, claiming that BLOs in some areas conducted verification from fixed locations in association with leaders of certain political parties instead of carrying out door-to-door verification as mandated by the Election Commission of India.Congress leaders further alleged that some BLOs mapped voters without proper verification and that certain political activists allegedly used BLO login credentials for verification activities. The party urged the CEO to investigate such complaints and take strict action against any irregularities.