Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], August 29 (ANI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend the deadline for filing objections and complaints under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, stressing that no eligible voter should be excluded and no ineligible person included in the final voters' list.
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Chief Minister called for adequate procedural safeguards to ensure that voters are given sufficient time and necessary assistance during the revision process.
Citing ECI data, Revanth Reddy said Telangana had 3.38 crore voters as of June 10, 2026, of whom 73.39 lakh (21.7%) had been identified under the Absentee, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) categories. He said nearly 62% of those classified under ASDD, or around 45.19 lakh voters, had been identified as permanently shifted, describing the figure as a matter of concern.
The Chief Minister also pointed to discrepancies in the digitised enumeration forms. Of the 2.65 crore forms digitised, 60.50 lakh contained errors, while 32.36 lakh could not be linked with the previous electoral roll. This, he said, had created a situation where notices could have to be issued to around 92.86 lakh voters, potentially affecting nearly one-third of the State's electorate.
Revanth Reddy said the current revision procedure had several shortcomings, particularly in distinguishing between voters who were temporarily away from their homes and those who had permanently shifted residence. He said voters who had genuinely moved were being removed from their previous addresses without adequate assistance to register in their new locations through Form-6.
He also pointed out that the prescribed notice procedure was not being followed before deleting the names of shifted voters. This could result in voters discovering that their names had been removed from the electoral roll only when they reached the polling station on election day, he said, describing such a situation as contrary to the principles of natural justice.
The Chief Minister said Hyderabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Rangareddy districts together accounted for 58.6% of the State's ASDD voters and 41.9% of the notices issued for verification. He said the revision process needed to be made more accessible in urban areas, where many voters frequently change residence because of employment, marriage and other temporary circumstances.
Pointing out that Telangana has no elections scheduled in the immediate future, Revanth Reddy said there was sufficient time to conduct the revision exercise comprehensively. He requested that the current period for filing objections and complaints, from August 17 to September 16, be extended by another four weeks. He also sought a corresponding revision of the October 19 deadline for publication of the final electoral roll.
He called for extensive awareness campaigns in villages and municipal wards and urged the authorities to hold Gram Sabha and ward committee meetings at least twice to publicly read out the draft electoral rolls.
The Chief Minister said one week would not be sufficient for daily-wage workers, migrant labourers and elderly voters who receive notices to submit supporting documents. He urged the ECI to provide at least three to four weeks for the purpose.
He also proposed setting up help centres at the constituency and polling-station levels, particularly in urban areas, to educate voters about the documents required and assist them in obtaining the necessary records.
Revanth Reddy said urban residents could face serious difficulties if the Family Registration Certificate issued under Government Order No. 172 was not accepted. He urged the ECI to revise and expand the list of acceptable documents to include other records that are readily available at the mandal level.
With an average of more than 78,000 cases in each constituency in Hyderabad, the Chief Minister said appointing only a limited number of Electoral Registration Officers would not be sufficient. He called for additional officers below the ERO level and decentralised enquiry centres, with specific dates and timings clearly mentioned in printed notices.
Revanth Reddy urged the ECI to take all necessary measures to ensure that voters do not face difficulties during the SIR process and that every eligible voter receives a fair opportunity to retain or establish their right to vote.
He assured the Commission that the State government was ready to provide full administrative and other necessary support, including setting up help centres and conducting Gram Sabhas, to ensure that the electoral roll revision process was completed smoothly and transparently. (ANI)
Telangana CM urges ECI to extend SIR deadline, protect eligible voters
