Jairam Ramesh supports Telangana CM Revanth Reddy’s letter to the CEC about the ‘mind-boggling’ scale of potential voter deletions (92.86 lakh) during the state’s electoral roll revision, urging the ECI to address the ‘very real’ concerns.
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the concerns raised by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy in his letter to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar regarding the scale of deletions during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state were “simply mind-boggling and totally unacceptable”.
Reddy wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI), flagging concerns over the large number of electoral entries identified for verification during the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in the state. The Telangana CM said that nearly 92.86 lakh electors are at risk of potential exclusion.
In a post on X, Ramesh said the concerns raised by the Telangana CM were “very real” and urged the ECI to take prompt action. The CM of Telangana has just written to the CEC on the simply mind-boggling and totally unacceptable scale of deletions in the SIR exercise in the state. We expect the CEC to take prompt action on the very real concerns raised by the CM pic.twitter.com/AnBC8TdQWA — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) August 29, 2026
“The CM of Telangana has just written to the CEC on the simply mind-boggling and totally unacceptable scale of deletions in the SIR exercise in the state,” Ramesh said.
“We expect the CEC to take prompt action on the very real concerns raised by the CM,” he added.
CM’s Letter Details ‘Mind-boggling’ Numbers
In his letter dated August 28, Reddy said that against the state’s 3.38 crore electors, as recorded on June 10, around 73.39 lakh entries (21.7 per cent) had been placed under the categories of Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD).
He said that of the 2.65 crore enumeration forms digitised so far, 60.50 lakh entries had been flagged for anomalies, while 32.36 lakh had been identified for lack of linkage with the previous electoral roll.
According to the Chief Minister, these two categories do not overlap and together account for 92.86 lakh entries. “Measured against the roll of 3.38 crore electors as it stood on June 10, 2026, some 73.39 lakh entries (21.7 per cent) have been placed under the Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate heads. Out of the 2.65 crore enumeration forms digitised so far, 60.50 lakh stand flagged for anomalies and 32.36 lakh for want of a link to the earlier roll,” Reddy said in the letter.
“The two sets are distinct and do not overlap; they add up to 92.86 lakh and each of those electors is to be put on notice. Stated plainly, something close to one third electorate of the State must now either prove its entitlement afresh or lose its place on the final roll,” he added.
Flaws in Verification Process
Reddy expressed concern over the large number of voters classified as “permanently shifted”. Of the 73.39 lakh ASDD entries, 45.19 lakh, or nearly 62 per cent, fall under this category, he said.
The Chief Minister said the verification process should clearly distinguish between temporary absence and permanent relocation, pointing out that people may be away from their homes due to work, travel or other reasons when Booth Level Officers visit. “The current verification methodology suffers from critical structural flaws. There is no Distinction Between Temporary Absence and Permanent Relocation: A voter who was simply at work, travelling, or temporarily away when the Booth Level Officer (BLO) visited is treated identically to someone who has permanently relocated,” the letter said.
He also said genuine voters who have moved to another location should be assisted in enrolling at their new address instead of having their names deleted from the previous electoral roll. Reddy further raised concerns over the notice procedure for voters classified as “shifted”, saying eligible electors could potentially learn about the deletion of their names only when they reach a polling station on election day. “Absence of Facilitation for Genuine Movers: Electors who have actually moved were given no assistance to file application for enrolling as voters at new address, yet their names are routinely marked for deletion at their previous residence. Exclusion from the Statutory Notice Mechanism: Deletions under the ‘shifted’ category bypass formal notice procedures entirely-notices are issued only for data anomalies or unmapped entries,” it added.
Regional Disparities in SIR Exercise
Highlighting regional disparities in the SIR exercise, the Chief Minister said Hyderabad, Medchal-Malkajgiri and Rangareddy districts account for 58.6 per cent of all ASDD entries and 41.9 per cent of verification notices, despite accounting for around one-third of the state’s electorate.
CM Seeks Extension, Procedural Safeguards
The Chief Minister requested the ECI to extend the claims and objections period by four weeks. The current schedule runs from August 17 to September 16, with final publication of the electoral roll scheduled for October 19.
He also urged the EC to ensure public reading of draft rolls in Gram Sabhas and urban ward committee meetings, provide voters with three to four weeks to respond to verification notices, and establish helpdesks at the booth level to assist electors with documentation. Reddy also sought clarity on the documents that voters can practically obtain and submit for SIR verification.
“The objective of the whole exercise is to ensure that not a single eligible elector is left out of the rolls and no ineligible voter is included. The outcome of the exercise should inspire confidence in the electors and none should be omitted from the rolls for want of time or opportunity to establish his / her eligibility,” the Telangana CM said.
The statement comes after Revanth Reddy wrote to the Election Commission seeking safeguards in the electoral roll revision process and an extension of the claims and objections period to ensure that eligible voters are not excluded from the rolls. (ANI)
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