Congress, Left Rally Against Telangana’s Mega Voter Revision Drive

The Congress , Left parties , and the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) on Tuesday staged a protest rally in Hyderabad against the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the exercise could be used to manipulate voter lists and disenfranchise eligible voters.

The rally began at the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Statue on Tank Bund and proceeded to BRK Bhavan , with protesters carrying placards and raising slogans against what they described as "undemocratic" practices and alleged attempts at "vote theft" through the voter roll revision process. The protesters said they would submit a memorandum to the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking safeguards to ensure that no genuine voter is removed from the electoral rolls.

The demonstration comes just ahead of the launch of Telangana's house-to-house enumeration exercise , which will be conducted from June 25 to July 24 as part of the SIR process. Election officials have described the exercise as the first comprehensive revision of electoral rolls in nearly 25 years , aimed at improving the accuracy and credibility of voter lists across the state.

The issue has gained political significance amid concerns raised by opposition parties over the potential exclusion of genuine voters. Congress leaders alleged that the process lacks adequate transparency and could adversely affect eligible electors if proper checks are not put in place. They demanded that the Election Commission ensure fairness and accountability throughout the revision exercise.

According to the Election Commission, Telangana currently has around 3.38 crore registered voters . Ahead of the field verification drive, officials completed a large-scale voter mapping exercise and verified approximately 2.38 crore electors , accounting for 70.54 percent of the electorate. Nearly 99.64 lakh voters are yet to be mapped and will be covered during the upcoming door-to-door survey.

Election authorities have also identified about 89.88 lakh voter records requiring verification due to anomalies such as duplicate entries, migration-related discrepancies, incomplete information, and inconsistencies in demographic details. Officials have clarified that these records have merely been flagged for scrutiny and do not automatically face deletion from the electoral rolls.

Hyderabad has emerged as one of the key focus areas of the SIR exercise. The city has reported nearly 8.65 lakh electors with anomalies , making it one of the districts with the highest number of voter records requiring verification in Telangana. Election officials attribute the higher numbers to rapid urban migration, frequent changes of residence, apartment-based living, and challenges in matching voter information with older electoral databases.

Earlier voter-mapping exercises also showed Hyderabad lagging behind many other districts in coverage, highlighting the complexity of maintaining accurate electoral rolls in a fast-growing metropolitan region. As a result, the city is expected to witness intensive verification efforts during the month-long survey.

Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarshan Reddy has sought to allay concerns, stating that the primary objective of the SIR is the purification of electoral rolls by removing duplicate, shifted, and deceased voters while ensuring that all eligible citizens are included. He emphasized that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit every household and may make multiple visits to ensure maximum coverage and accuracy.

Under the Election Commission's schedule, the draft electoral roll will be published on July 31 , followed by a period for claims and objections until August 30 . The final electoral roll is expected to be released on October 1, 2026 .

With political parties closely monitoring the exercise and Hyderabad emerging as a major verification hotspot, the SIR process is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched electoral initiatives in Telangana ahead of future elections.