Telangana SIR exercise sparks political controversy as 73 lakh voter names are deleted and 92.3 lakh voters receive notices. Final electoral roll will be released on October 19.
Hyderabad: A massive voter verification exercise in Telangana has become a major political flashpoint after lakhs of names came under scrutiny during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
The exercise has reportedly resulted in the deletion of around 73 lakh names from electoral rolls, while another 92.3 lakh voters have received notices due to alleged anomalies in their voter details.
The development has triggered concern among political parties, with leaders focusing on whether eligible voters could face difficulties in retaining their names on the final electoral roll. The issue has become particularly sensitive for the ruling Congress government, which has started reviewing the process at the district and booth levels.
The SIR exercise is aimed at updating electoral records and identifying discrepancies in voter details. However, the scale of deletions and notices has raised questions among political parties and voters.
For many citizens, the biggest concern is whether missing documents, incorrect information or technical errors could impact their voting rights. Political parties have argued that even genuine voters should not lose their names from the electoral list because of procedural issues. The controversy has intensified as Telangana prepares for the publication of the final electoral roll on October 19.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has expressed concern over the monitoring of the SIR exercise across districts. According to party leaders, Reddy believes that district in-charge ministers and local representatives failed to adequately oversee the verification process.
The Chief Minister has directed ministers and constituency-level leaders to conduct detailed reviews with parliamentary and assembly coordinators and spend time on the ground to identify voter-related problems. He has reportedly warned that failure to properly manage the issue could create serious political consequences for the Congress.
The Election authorities have started the claims and objections process for voters whose names have been flagged during verification. The process began on August 17, allowing affected voters to submit documents, raise objections and request corrections in their electoral records. The deadline for filing claims and objections is September 16.
After reviewing applications and completing verification, authorities will finalise the process by October 15. The final electoral roll will be published on October 19, which will reveal the actual impact of the SIR exercise.
The controversy has pushed political parties into action, with organisations appointing special representatives from district level to booth level. These teams are focusing on identifying voter-related issues, helping people submit objections and ensuring that eligible voters are not removed from the final list.
Party workers are also collecting information from local areas where large-scale deletions or notices have been reported. The voter list issue has now become a key political battle ahead of future electoral challenges in Telangana.
The Telangana SIR row has moved beyond a routine voter verification exercise and become a major debate over electoral participation and voter rights. While authorities maintain that updating voter records is necessary to ensure accurate electoral rolls, political parties are closely watching the process due to its possible impact on the political landscape.
A change in voter numbers, especially at such a large scale, could influence electoral calculations across constituencies. For lakhs of voters, the next few weeks will be crucial as they wait for confirmation that their names remain on the final list.
The focus will now remain on the claims and objections process, with voters and political parties closely monitoring corrections and deletions. The final electoral roll on October 19 will determine how many names remain on the list after the verification exercise. The outcome of the Telangana SIR process could have wider implications for voter management, election preparedness and political strategies in the state.
