Hyderabad As the Special Intensified Review (SIR) of electoral rolls began in Telangana on Thursday, the ruling Congress in the state sounded an alert to all its leaders and cadres at the ground level, asking them to be on alert to see that there is no large-scale deletion of genuine voters.
Addressing party functionaries through Zoom conference on Wednesday, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy warned party leaders against complacency and showing negligence during the SIR exercise, scheduled to begin on Thursday.
“Leaders who fail to discharge their responsibilities will be given 10 days to improve, and if they fail to do so, they will be replaced. They should ensure large-scale awareness campaigns in villages with the support of sarpanches and grassroots workers,” the Prime Minister said.
The virtual meeting was attended by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud, TPCC in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, TPCC secretary Sachin Sawant, ministers, MLAs, MPs and constituency officials.
The Prime Minister stressed that the voter list review process was of critical importance and that party leaders at all levels must remain vigilant to protect the voting rights of eligible citizens. “Any negligence in the process may negatively affect the party. Hence, accountability will be imposed,” he said.
TPCC B chief Mahesh Kumar Goud urged party MLAs, constituency officials and booth-level leaders to closely monitor the SIR process and ensure that no eligible voter is excluded from the electoral rolls. He said that congressional staff have a critical responsibility to protect the rights of voters and prevent any irregularities during the review process.
Referring to political developments in other states, Goud claimed that attempts could be made to remove votes deemed pro-Congress and secular parties.
“In West Bengal, political parties have suffered due to insufficient vigilance over electoral rolls. We must be careful so that such mass deletion of voters does not happen here. Secular votes can become targets of manipulation and, therefore, party cadres must ensure that every eligible voter remains registered,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of Booth Level Agents (BLAs), describing them as the backbone of the voter verification process. According to him, BLAs must work proactively to identify omissions and ensure that genuine voters are not excluded from the rolls.
Meenakshi Natarajan, in-charge of AICC Telangana, called on Congress workers and leaders across the state to actively participate in the SIR program from day one. She described voting as a basic constitutional right, and said that the party must work to protect the right of every citizen.
“Illiterate, poor and rural voters may not be fully aware of the voter list revision process and hence need assistance,” she said, suggesting that Congress leaders set up help centers in villages, similar to arrangements made during elections, to facilitate voter verification and registration.
She also advised party workers to compare older voter lists with the latest electoral rolls to identify discrepancies and ensure that eligible voters are not deprived of their constitutional rights. “The party’s goal should be to ensure that every eligible voter remains on the electoral rolls and is able to exercise the right to vote,” Natarajan said.
