Revanth Reddy seeks four-week extension for electoral roll revision

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. | Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has urged the Election Commission of India to extend the claims and objections period for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state by four weeks, citing concerns over the large number of voters flagged for verification and the possibility of eligible electors being left out.In a letter addressed to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday (August 29, 2026), he said the revision had reached a critical stage, with nearly one-third of the State’s electorate potentially required to establish their eligibility afresh.According to the letter, against the State’s electoral roll of 3.38 crore electors as of June 10, around 73.39 lakh entries have been placed under the categories of Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD). Of the 2.65 crore enumeration forms digitised so far, 60.50 lakh have been flagged for anomalies and another 32.36 lakh for lack of a link to the previous electoral roll. The two categories are stated to be distinct, taking the total number of electors requiring notice to 92.86 lakh.Concern over ASDD classificationMr. Reddy expressed particular concern over the ASDD classification, noting that 45.19 lakh, or nearly 62% of the 73.39 lakh ASDD entries had been classified as “permanently shifted”.The Chief Minister argued that the existing verification process does not adequately distinguish between temporary absence and permanent relocation. Voters who were away from home because of work, travel or other temporary circumstances could potentially be treated in the same manner as those who had permanently moved.Mr. Reddy also pointed out that genuine voters who have shifted residences are not being adequately assisted in enrolling at their new addresses, while their names may be marked for deletion from their previous constituencies. Another concern raised was that deletions in the “shifted” category do not receive the same formal notice procedure as those in other categories.The Chief Minister cautioned that these shortcomings could result in eligible citizens discovering that their names had been removed only when they reached polling stations.The geographical distribution of the verification exercise has also raised concerns. Hyderabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Rangareddy together account for about one-third of the State’s electors but reportedly account for 58.06% of ASDD entries and 41.19% of verification notices.The letter noted that frequent movement of tenants, migrant workers and families across wards and districts makes maintaining continuous proof of residence particularly difficult in these urban areas.Besides seeking a four-week extension of the claims and objections period, currently scheduled from August 17 to September 16, with final publication on October 19, the Chief Minister proposed several safeguards.These include public reading of draft electoral rolls at Gram Sabhas and Ward Committee meetings, with such meetings to be held at least twice in villages and municipal wards. He also sought three to four weeks for electors to respond to verification notices instead of the existing shorter period.The letter called for helpdesks, particularly at booth level in urban areas, to assist voters in understanding admissible documents and obtaining the necessary records. It also sought a wider and clearly defined list of documents that can be produced for verification, arguing that many urban voters may not possess documents currently accepted by the Commission.Mr. Revanth Reddy further requested additional Electoral Registration Officers and decentralised hearing arrangements, especially in Hyderabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Rangareddy. He argued that the notice burden in Hyderabad district could exceed 78,000 cases per Assembly Constituency, making individual hearings before officers difficult to manage under the existing system.The Telangana government, the Chief Minister said, was willing to provide logistical and administrative assistance, including setting up helpdesks, organising Gram Sabha and Ward Committee meetings, and conducting awareness campaigns among affected electors. Published - August 29, 2026 05:09 pm IST