The Congress party on Friday urged the Election Commission not to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in a hurried manner, warning that any rushed exercise could create confusion, anxiety, and distrust among voters. The party submitted 22 suggestions to the state chief electoral officer, seeking a timeline of 1.5 to 2 years for the process, mandatory door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) with geo-tagged photographs, a seven-day written notice before deletion of any voter, and machine-readable electoral rolls for political parties.
Key Demands by Congress
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president B Mahesh Kumar Goud opposed assigning officials dual duties with the Census and cautioned that the SIR should not become a "backdoor" NRC exercise. The TPCC said the revision should be planned meticulously and in a phased manner, pointing out that the number of voters has increased by about 1.2 crore since 2002. Since no major elections are scheduled for the next two to three years, the party said the revision could be spread over 18 to 24 months to reduce administrative pressure and public anxiety.
Alleged Lapses in Pre-SIR Process
Congress alleged several lapses in the pre-SIR process. Instead of mandatory door-to-door visits, some BLOs were conducting verification from fixed locations under the influence of certain political leaders. Voters were being mapped without proper verification, and the current system did not allow correction of mistakes made during mapping. Many BLOs had not received honorariums on time, leading to neglect of duty, while some in Hyderabad lacked English literacy required for the task. Mapping and verification were reportedly being carried out in the middle of the night by influential people using BLO login credentials.
Demand for Seven-Day Notice Before Deletion
The TPCC demanded that BLOs conduct at least three home visits, supported by geo-tagged photographs and entries in the Garuda app. A minimum seven-day written notice must be served personally or through a documented process with witnesses before any voter name is deleted, and citizens should be given one month to respond before a final decision. The party also sought extension of the objection filing period to two months and three months' time for citizens to respond to SIR notices. It objected to deletions based on hearsay, unverified visits, or software-generated logical discrepancies such as spelling variations without physical verification.
Misuse of Form 7
The TPCC flagged the misuse of Form 7 for bulk deletion requests, often on grounds such as migration or death, and said such requests should not be acted upon without credible evidence.
Machine-Readable Electoral Rolls
The TPCC demanded that recognised political parties be given the 2002 and 2025 electoral rolls in hard copy and machine-readable formats. It also sought sharing of lists of proposed deletions in CSV format within 48 hours and preservation of all SIR-related data for five years. The party asked the CEO to share lists of ‘absent, shifted or dead’ voters with party headquarters and booth level agents.
Awareness and Inclusion Measures
Congress called for special awareness programmes for SC, ST, minority, and economically weaker communities, and said BLOs from these communities should be appointed where feasible. It urged coordination with labour organisations to ensure migrant, seasonal, and construction workers are not excluded. For those who migrated after 2002, Congress suggested that an affidavit be accepted as proof of residence if they had voted locally in at least two elections. The party reiterated that the SIR should not demand proof of citizenship and should not become a "backdoor NRC".
Action Against Officials and Registration Practice
The party demanded strict action against officials who delete names without notice or verification. It sought discontinuation of voter registration up to the date of nominations after an election is announced, saying the practice could lead to “large-scale bogus entries”.
