Telangana Congress Sounds Alarm Over ‘Hasty’ SIR Drive

The ruling Congress party in Telangana has raised key objections to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being undertaken by the Election Commission of India in the state. Citing the absence of any major elections in the next two to three years, the party urged that the large-scale exercise should not be completed within just two or three months, but instead be conducted gradually and transparently over a period of at least one-and-a-half to two years .

On Friday, a delegation led by Telangana Congress president B. Mahesh Kumar Goud met Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarshan Reddy in Hyderabad and submitted a detailed memorandum in this regard. Referring to alleged irregularities in states such as West Bengal , the party cautioned against a repeat of similar situations in Telangana.

The Election Commission on May 14 announced the third phase of the SIR process across 16 states and three Union Territories , covering 367.3 million voters nationwide. As part of the exercise, electoral roll purification will also be carried out in Telangana from May 30. However, Mahesh Kumar Goud expressed concern that completing the process within a short timeframe could lead to “dangerous consequences.” He warned that lack of transparency in voter deletions could pose a threat to democracy itself.

Recalling the SIR exercise conducted in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh in 2002, he said the process had then been carried out gradually over three months. Given the rise in voter numbers and workload since then, he argued that more time should now be allocated.

The Congress party particularly cited the example of West Bengal, alleging that nearly nine million voters were removed during the SIR process there, while only three million new voters were added. The party alleged that voters with a “secular ideology” were deliberately removed. It warned that if a similar situation emerged in Telangana, election results could be adversely affected, and therefore adequate time should be provided for detailed scrutiny of every objection.

The party also expressed concern that attempting to complete the exercise in a short period would place excessive pressure on the administrative machinery, increasing the risk of names being deleted without proper field verification.

Alongside the voter list revision, Congress pointed out that the Census process is also underway and urged that the same staff should not be assigned to both exercises. It said this would place an additional burden on officials and could affect the efficiency of both tasks.

The party further demanded that recognised political parties be provided with soft and hard copies of the 2002 and 2025 electoral rolls , enabling them to closely examine changes in voter data over time. It also sought an extension of the current deadline for filing objections to at least two months , while requesting that citizens be given three months to respond to notices.

Congress demanded strict safeguards in the deletion of voter names, stating that names should not be removed based on rumours or incomplete house visits. It insisted that a written notice be served at least seven days in advance before any deletion, and that such notices should be delivered personally or in the presence of witnesses.

The party further said voters should be given one month to present their case before any final decision is taken. It also demanded that the verification process carried out by Booth Level Officers be fully documented, with mandatory geo-tagged photographic evidence showing at least three visits to a residence in order to prevent irregularities at the ground level.

Congress also commented on the political implications of the SIR process. Mahesh Kumar Goud recalled that the Supreme Court had previously clarified that the Election Commission should not demand citizenship proof documents from voters. He stressed that the revision exercise should not indirectly pave the way for the implementation of a National Register of Citizens (NRC) , and should remain strictly a lawful voter registration process.

The party stated that any lack of transparency in the electoral roll revision could increase public distrust and negatively impact the democratic system. It urged the Chief Electoral Officer to consider the suggestions made by political parties and complete the process in a manner acceptable to all stakeholders.