Telangana Congress raises concerns over SIR process

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) met Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarshan Reddy and submitted a detailed statement expressing concerns and suggestions regarding the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the State.

A delegation of the party’s Election Commission Coordination Committee, led by TPCC president Bomma Mahesh Kumar Goud and comprising Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, MLAs Naveen Yadav, Ganesh and Kavampalli Satyanarayana, MPs Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy and Anil Kumar Yadav and president Pulipati Rajesh Kumar, met the CEO in Hyderabad on Friday, May 15, 2026 and told the Election Commission that the voter list revision process was fair, He called for ensuring that it is carried out in a transparent and impartial manner.

In the presentation, the Congress party highlighted concerns over the scale of the exercise and pointed out that nearly 25 years have passed since the last SIR was conducted in 2002 in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh. The party noted that the voter population has increased significantly since then and that it wants a gradual and carefully planned revision process rather than hasty implementation.

In the memorandum, it was suggested that the SIR process be spread over one and a half to two years, arguing that no major elections were planned in the near future. According to the party, such a timeline would help reduce administrative pressure, allow sufficient time for objections and corrections, and minimize public concern.

Congressional leaders also opposed giving dual responsibility to government personnel handling both census-related work and election revision duties. They sought separate manpower deployment to avoid administrative burden and ensure efficiency.

Copies of 2002 and 2025 voter lists sought

The key demands put forward by the party included providing electronic and hard copies of voter lists for the years 2002 and 2025 to recognized political parties, extension of objection and notice period to at least one month, provision of physical notification before deletion of any voter’s name and proper field verification before any deletion due to software differences.

The party also emphasized the importance of transparency in the functioning of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs). It demanded geo-tagged evidence of home visits by BLOs, mandatory training for BLAs and timely sharing of ASD (Absent, Shifted, Dead) voter lists with recognized political parties.

Congress alleges irregularities in pre-SIR mapping process

Referring to allegations of irregularities in the ongoing pre-SIR mapping process, the memorandum alleged that BLOs in some districts were conducting verification from fixed locations with leaders of certain political parties instead of door-to-door verification as directed by the Election Commission of India.

Congress leaders also alleged that some BLOs were mapping voters without proper verification and that some political activists were using BLO login credentials for verification activities. The party urged the CEO to investigate such complaints and take stringent action against any irregularities.

A delegation from Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) met Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C Sudharshan Reddy in Hyderabad on Friday, May 15, 2026. | Photo Credit: BY EDITION

The memorandum also raised concerns about possible misuse of Form-7 applications for mass deletion of voters, citing experiences in other States. Congress demanded strict verification before deleting any voters and sought disciplinary action against officials responsible for erroneous deletions.

Do not seek proof of citizenship during SIR

The party also appealed to the Election Commission not to seek proof of citizenship during the SIR process, arguing that the exercise should not become a “backdoor NRC-like process”. It also sought assurances for migrant voters who moved to Telangana after 2002 and suggested special awareness programs for weaker sections, including Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and minorities.