Telangana voter roll revision: Congress flags concerns over large-scale deletions
The Congress party in Telangana has expressed concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, fearing that a significant number of voters could face deletion. The party has drawn parallels with similar exercises in West Bengal and Assam, where large-scale deletions were alleged to have influenced election outcomes.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, during a virtual meeting with senior party leaders, expressed displeasure over the party's handling of the revision process. He noted that a potential reduction of 21% in voter numbers could have serious consequences. He criticised the party organisation for what he called a "lackadaisical approach" in field verification, pointing out that opposition parties were closely monitoring voter data while the Congress failed to deploy adequate Booth Level Agents.
According to the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer’s office, out of a total electorate of 3,38,26,448, enumeration forms for 2,64,86,214 electors have been digitised, a completion rate of 78.3%. The remaining 21.7% have been classified as "uncollectable". Additionally, nearly 20 lakh entries have been reported as technically inconsistent or unmapped. Together, these categories account for nearly 94 lakh electors who may face scrutiny. The "uncollectable" category includes 9,22,230 deceased voters, 11,25,546 marked absent or untraceable, 45,18,961 listed as permanently shifted, 6,70,203 shown as enrolled elsewhere, and 1,02,294 under other categories.
The Congress leadership is particularly worried that a disproportionate number of deletions could affect the voting rights of poorer sections, including minorities and low-income households. Mr. Reddy argued that losing a vote not only disenfranchises a citizen but can also affect access to welfare-linked identity systems and government benefits. He drew parallels with voter-list controversies in other states.
Several factors have been cited for the large number of affected voters. One explanation is that overburdened Booth Level Officers allegedly skipped mandatory door-to-door verification in some areas and operated from centralised collection points, marking those who could not visit as unavailable.
A preliminary assessment within the ruling party suggests the issue is concentrated in districts around Hyderabad. The erstwhile districts of Hyderabad such as Ranga Reddy, Medak, Mahabubnagar and Nalgonda have witnessed substantial migration to the capital region. This has led to a "dual voter" imbalance, according to party leaders. Across the 28 Assembly segments under the Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Chevella and Malkajgiri Lok Sabha constituencies, local enrolment rates are reported to be relatively low. Many residents have retained voter registrations in their native districts. Similarly, migrant workers from Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and other states are choosing to vote in their home states rather than registering locally.
The Election Commission treats the revision as a continuous process. Electors whose forms are missing, uncollected, or contain discrepancies may face scrutiny during the claims and objections process. They have the opportunity to file claims to correct errors. The final electoral roll will be published after this process. The actual number of deletions will depend on the outcome of these procedures.
