Political parties in Andhra Pradesh have intensified preparations for the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, to be conducted by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Major parties, including the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), YSR Congress Party (YSRCP), Jana Sena Party, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have appointed dedicated leaders and teams to coordinate with constituency-level cadres and booth level assistants (BLAs) ahead of this crucial exercise. Despite these preparations, parties face a significant challenge in identifying voters who may be missing from the rolls before the draft electoral lists are officially released on July 21.
Door-to-Door Verification Process
The Election Commission will launch door-to-door verification through booth level officers (BLOs) as part of the SIR process, starting June 15. YSRCP general secretary Lella Appireddy stated that the party has already completed the appointment of BLAs and is training them through virtual meetings. He noted that the Election Commission has assured training support to BLAs so they can assist BLOs during the verification process. “We are now waiting for the process to commence fully at the field level by ECI,” he added.
Major Challenges in Voter Tracking
The biggest concern for political parties is the drastic change in polling station boundaries and voter distribution since 2002, which serves as the base year for the current SIR exercise. Party leaders highlighted that large-scale migration of voters, shifting residences, and urban expansion over the past two decades have made tracking electors extremely difficult. A senior legislator pointed out that parties currently possess both the 2002 electoral lists and the 2024 voter rolls, but these are non-machine readable, making digital comparison nearly impossible. “How can we track every elector from the 2002 lists under such circumstances? It is highly difficult to identify and locate each voter,” he remarked.
Uncertainty Over Mapped Voters
Leaders across parties are also unhappy that the Election Commission has not yet shared details of voters already mapped during the preliminary verification process. Political leaders believe the mapped voters are relatively safe, but uncertainty remains over those yet to be identified. Another senior leader explained that parties would gain clarity only after BLOs complete their field visits and submit reports. Meanwhile, all major parties have begun alerting their loyal supporters to keep documents ready for verification during BLO visits.
Ground-Level Preparations
MLAs, constituency in-charges, and local cadres are working overtime to ensure that their committed vote banks remain intact after the SIR scrutiny. Sources said party leaders, particularly in rural areas, have already begun manually checking old voter lists by visiting households. Yet, many admitted that locating names from the 2002 records has become an uphill task due to demographic and geographical changes over the years. The parties are also leveraging social media and local networks to spread awareness among voters about the verification process.
As the July 21 deadline approaches, political parties are racing against time to ensure accurate voter rolls. The success of the SIR exercise will depend on effective coordination between party cadres and election officials, as well as the cooperation of voters in updating their details.
