Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has raised concerns regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list, set to begin in Telangana in June 2026. He highlighted potential risks for vulnerable groups, particularly Dalits, Minorities, Adivasis, Tribals, and migrant workers, whose names might be removed during the revision process.
During a Congress Political Affairs Committee meeting, the Chief Minister cautioned that the SIR could pose significant challenges for Lambada, Adivasi, and migrant workers. He said, “In several constituencies, a significant number of people have migrated elsewhere. The possibility of the omission of votes of Dalits, minorities, and women was also not ruled out in the SIR.”
Conversely, Telangana BJP President N Ramchander Rao stated that the SIR has no political motives and is a routine task carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Speaking to ANI, he explained that the objective of the SIR is to improve the accuracy of voter rolls by removing discrepancies, similar to exercises conducted in West Bengal and other states.
He added, “Like in Bengal and other places, where the fake voters and illegal immigrants are there, they will be deleted. And what Bengal has done, or what the SIR has done, is detect, delete, and deport.
So this is what a voter list has to see–whether the voter list contains the real names, whether there are any fake voters in there, whether there are any dead voters, or whether there are any transferred and shifted voters. So SIR has no political overtones in it. It is a regular exercise done by the Election Commission of India.”
The Telangana Congress has called for the SIR process to be conducted with transparency. A delegation of state Congress leaders has met with the State Chief Electoral Officer, urging that the revision be carried out transparently and extended over a sufficient period, noting no major elections are scheduled in the state.
On May 14, 2026, the Election Commission of India announced the Phase-III Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across 16 States and three Union Territories, covering over 360 million electors, including Telangana.
The Commission said the revision would be coordinated with the ongoing house listing component of the Census to ensure efficient use of resources. For Telangana and Punjab, the qualifying date is October 1, 2026. The schedule includes a preparation phase from June 15 to June 24, 2026; Booth Level Officer visits from June 25 to July 24, 2026; and rationalisation completed by July 24, 2026.
The draft electoral roll will be published on July 31, 2026, with claims and objections open between July 31 and August 30, 2026. The notice phase and disposal will continue from July 31 to September 28, 2026, and the final roll will be published on October 1, 2026.
Courtesy : TNM
Note: This news is originally published on https:/thenewsmill.com/bha and is used purely for non-profit/non-commercial purposes, especially human rights