BRS Seeks One-Month Extension for Telangana Voter Roll Revision

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Telangana by at least one month, arguing that the current schedule leaves insufficient time to address several procedural and technical issues that could affect genuine voters.

A delegation led by former MP B. Vinod Kumar submitted a memorandum to Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy on Monday, seeking additional time for the statewide voter verification exercise. The party contended that a longer window would help ensure that the revision process is completed in a transparent, accurate and inclusive manner , without risking the exclusion of eligible voters.

The ongoing SIR exercise, which began on June 25 , involves a door-to-door verification of voters across the state and is scheduled to conclude on July 24 . The Election Commission has described the exercise as part of a broader effort to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls by identifying duplicate, shifted and deceased voters.

In its representation, BRS highlighted the lack of access to the 2002 electoral rolls , which are being used as a key reference for verification. While election authorities have advised political parties to access the records through official online platforms, the party claimed that frequent technical glitches and limited accessibility have made the process difficult.

Another concern raised by BRS relates to the absence of EPIC (Elector Photo Identity Card) numbers for a significant portion of voters listed in the 2002 rolls. According to the party, this makes it challenging to compare historical records with current voter lists and increases the possibility of errors during verification.

The party also expressed concern that minor spelling mistakes , typographical variations and differences in the order of names could be treated as discrepancies, potentially resulting in the deletion of legitimate voters. Such variations, it argued, are common across official documents, including Aadhaar cards, ration cards and educational certificates , and should not become grounds for disenfranchisement.

While supporting the removal of duplicate and ineligible entries, BRS questioned the transparency of the process used to identify such names. The party sought greater clarity on the criteria being followed and demanded that political stakeholders be kept informed about proposed deletions.

The issue has gained political significance as Telangana prepares for future electoral contests. Electoral rolls form the foundation of the democratic process, and concerns over voter inclusion have surfaced in several states during similar revision exercises. Election authorities, however, have maintained that the objective of the SIR is to strengthen the integrity of voter databases while safeguarding the rights of eligible citizens.

Following the meeting, Vinod Kumar said the Chief Electoral Officer had assured the delegation that its concerns and request for an extension would be forwarded to the Election Commission for consideration. The party has urged the poll body to review the issues comprehensively and ensure that no genuine voter loses the right to vote due to procedural or technical shortcomings .