Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has expressed concern that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls could affect the voting rights of migrant workers and several vulnerable communities across the state.
Addressing meetings of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee’s Political Affairs Committee and State Advisory Committee at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad, Revanth Reddy warned that the SIR process may lead to the deletion of votes belonging to migrant workers, minorities, women, Dalits, Adivasis and Lambada communities if proper precautions are not taken.
The Chief Minister alleged that large sections of economically weaker and socially vulnerable voters could face difficulties during the verification process, particularly those lacking updated documentation or stable residential records due to migration and employment related movement. He said the issue could become a “Major problem” if genuine voters are removed from the electoral rolls during the revision exercise.
To address the issue, Revanth Reddy announced that Congress party in-charges would be appointed for all 119 Assembly constituencies and 17 Lok Sabha segments in Telangana to monitor the SIR process and ensure that eligible voters are not removed from the rolls.
The Chief Minister also said that booth level party workers who previously participated in the Congress membership drive would now help identify and assist voters during the electoral revision process. According to him, district ministers and party leaders would regularly coordinate with local workers to oversee developments at the grassroots level.
Revanth Reddy further directed party representatives, including Rajya Sabha MPs and MLCs, to focus particularly on Hyderabad constituencies where the voter revision exercise is expected to become highly significant. He also instructed Mahila Congress units to conduct cluster-wise awareness meetings regarding the SIR process.
The remarks come amid an intensifying political debate over the Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls in Telangana and several other states. Congress leaders have repeatedly accused the BJP-led central government of attempting to disenfranchise minorities, poor communities and migrant populations through stricter voter verification procedures, while BJP leaders have defended the revision exercise as necessary for maintaining accurate electoral rolls.
The Election Commission has maintained that SIR exercises are conducted to update and verify voter lists and remove duplicate, deceased or ineligible entries from electoral rolls. However, opposition parties in multiple states have expressed fears that genuine voters may be excluded if verification processes are not handled carefully.
Political analysts say the issue could become a major political flashpoint ahead of future elections in Telangana, especially in urban areas with large migrant populations and densely populated constituencies.
