Telangana voters appearing for hearings under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls have raised concerns over requests for decades-old documents. Some voters in Hyderabad said they were being asked to provide additional proof despite having government-issued documents such as Aadhaar, PAN and voter ID.
One voter questioned how he could produce a document from 1987 when he was not even born at the time. The concerns have emerged as officials conduct verification hearings for voters whose records have been flagged under categories including absent, shifted, dead and duplicate entries, as well as cases involving mapping issues and discrepancies.
During a hearing in Hyderabad, voter Sai Kanmudraj said he had been asked to produce a document dating back to 1987. He questioned where he could obtain such a document when he was not born then. He also said that although he had an Aadhaar card and PAN card issued by the government, he was told that these documents were not sufficient for the particular verification requirement.
Another woman who received an SIR notice said she had been voting at the same polling station for years but was now being asked to provide additional identity and address proof. She said she had already submitted her Aadhaar and voter ID but remained unclear about what further documents would be accepted.
Officials involved in the exercise said notices were being issued and hearings conducted as part of the electoral-roll verification process. G Vasanth Kumar, In-charge Assistant Municipal Commissioner and Assistant Electoral Registration Officer, said around 360 notices had been issued for the day’s proceedings.
The SIR exercise has also triggered political concerns in Telangana. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has written to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar seeking additional time for the claims and objections process and more time for voters to respond to notices. He has also urged safeguards to ensure that eligible voters are not wrongly removed from the electoral rolls.
According to figures cited by the Chief Minister, Telangana had around 3.38 crore electors as of June 10, with nearly 73.39 lakh entries classified under the absent, shifted, dead and duplicate categories.
Political parties, including the Bharat Rashtra Samithi and Congress, have also called for adequate verification and safeguards. The Election Commission’s handling of the hearings and the response to voters’ documentation concerns will remain important as the electoral-roll revision progresses.
Author: Ch Sashikumar
News Reporter at Snap News, covering Telangana news and reporting on important local and regional developments across the state.
