Telangana Congress fears deletion of secular votes in poll roll revision

Telangana Congress President Mahesh Kumar Goud alleged a Union government plot to delete 'secular votes' through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, vowing to protect citizens' voting rights and demanding a transparent process.

Congress Alleges Plot to Delete 'Secular Votes'

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President Mahesh Kumar Goud on Sunday expressed concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, alleging that the Union government was attempting to delete secular votes and asserting that the Congress would protect the voting rights of Telangana's citizens.

Speaking to ANI, Goud said, "We are overall concerned about the bad process being taken up by the Union government of deleting secular votes. We are having several meetings to protect our own Telangana citizens' votes... A vote is a valued, precious thing in a democratic system... We won't allow any unwanted thing to happen in Telangana."

Meanwhile, Telangana Congress has called for the SIR process to be conducted with "transparency". A delegation of state Congress leaders met with the State Chief Electoral Officer over the issue earlier, urging that the SIR process be conducted with complete transparency and be extended for a period of time since no major elections are scheduled in the state.

ECI Announces Special Intensive Revision

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on May 14 announced the conduct of Special Intensive Revision Phase-III of electoral rolls across 16 States and three Union Territories, covering over 36 crore electors in a phased manner, including Telagana. According to the press note issued by the Commission, the exercise has been planned in coordination with the ongoing house listing component of the Census to ensure optimal use of field machinery.

SIR Schedule for Telangana and Punjab

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) schedule has been outlined for multiple States and Union Territories with clearly defined timelines for each stage of the electoral roll process. For Telangana and Punjab, the qualifying date is October 1, 2026. The preparation phase will be conducted from June 15, 2026, to June 24, 2026, followed by BLO visits from June 25, 2026, to July 24, 2026. Rationalisation will be completed by July 24, 2026. The draft roll will be published on July 31, 2026, with claims and objections open from July 31, 2026, to August 30, 2026. The notice phase and disposal will continue from July 31, 2026, to September 28, 2026, and the final roll will be published on October 1, 2026. (ANI)

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