Revanth Reddy Raises Concern Over Possible Exclusion of 92.86 Lakh Voters in SIR, Seeks Four-Week Extension

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has backed Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, calling the scale of voter entries requiring verification in the state “mind-boggling” and unacceptable. Ramesh said the issues highlighted by Reddy in his communication to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar were serious and warranted an immediate response from the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Reddy has raised concerns that as many as 92.86 lakh voters could face potential exclusion during the electoral roll revision process. In a letter dated August 28, the Telangana Chief Minister pointed out that the state had around 3.38 crore registered electors as of June 10, 2026. According to Reddy, nearly 73.39 lakh entries, accounting for about 21.7 per cent of the electorate, have been categorised under Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD).

He further said that of the 2.65 crore enumeration forms digitised so far, around 60.50 lakh entries were flagged for anomalies, while another 32.36 lakh lacked a link with the previous electoral roll. Reddy said the two categories are separate and together represent 92.86 lakh electors who may have to undergo additional verification. The Chief Minister argued that the numbers were large enough to create a substantial risk of eligible voters being left out unless sufficient time and safeguards were provided. He said the verification process effectively requires a significant portion of Telangana’s electorate to establish their eligibility again.

A major concern raised by Reddy relates to voters classified as “permanently shifted”. He said around 45.19 lakh of the 73.39 lakh ASDD entries fall into this category, representing nearly 62 per cent of the total. Reddy questioned whether the existing verification process adequately distinguishes between a person who has permanently moved and someone who is temporarily away from home. He noted that voters may be absent because of work, travel, education or other commitments when Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visit their residences.

The Chief Minister also called for greater assistance for voters who have genuinely changed their residence. Instead of simply marking their names for deletion at their previous address, he said such electors should be helped with the process of registering at their new location. Another issue highlighted in the letter concerns the notice process. Reddy expressed concern that voters placed in the “shifted” category may not receive adequate formal notification and could potentially discover that their names have been removed only when they attempt to vote.

He also pointed to significant differences between districts in the number of entries being flagged. Hyderabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Rangareddy together account for 58.6 per cent of ASDD entries and 41.9 per cent of verification notices, despite representing roughly one-third of Telangana’s total electorate. To address these concerns, Reddy has asked the Election Commission to extend the existing claims and objections period by four weeks. Under the current schedule, the window runs from August 17 to September 16, with the final electoral roll scheduled for publication on October 19.

The Chief Minister has also proposed that draft electoral rolls be publicly read and discussed through Gram Sabhas and urban ward committee meetings. He called for voters receiving verification notices to be given three to four weeks to respond and suggested setting up booth-level helpdesks to assist people with documentation. Reddy has additionally sought clearer information on which documents voters can realistically obtain and submit during the verification process.

The Telangana Chief Minister said the purpose of the SIR exercise should be to ensure that eligible citizens remain on the electoral rolls while preventing the inclusion of ineligible voters. He stressed that no eligible elector should lose their place on the rolls simply because they were not given adequate time or an opportunity to establish their eligibility.

Backing the concerns, Jairam Ramesh urged the Election Commission to act promptly, describing the issues raised by Reddy as genuine and requiring attention. The dispute comes as the electoral roll revision moves forward in Telangana, with the state government seeking additional safeguards and more time to ensure that the verification process does not inadvertently exclude eligible voters.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from ANI.