The Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Bhartiya Janata Party’s second-largest ally in the National Democratic Alliance, has sought clarity from the Election Commission on ‘the scope” of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls underway in poll-bound Bihar, and likely to be replicated nationwide.
The TDP has said that the Election Commission of India’s exercise should ideally be conducted “not within six months” of any major election and that it should be made clear that it is ‘not related to citizenship verification.’
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on July 15, by TDP parliamentary party leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu and signed by five other party leaders, the Andhra Pradesh’s ruling party said that the “scope of the SIR must be clearly defined and must be limited to electoral roll recorrection and inclusion.”
“It should be explicitly communicated that the exercise is not related to citizenship verification, and any field instructions must reflect this distinction,” reads the letter.
The letter was submitted to the EC after TDP leaders met it, part of an ongoing exercise by the poll panel to consider suggestions from political parties to strengthen electoral processes.
“As Andhra Pradesh is not due for assembly elections until 2029, the Telugu Desam Party recognises that any future Special Intensive Revision (SIR) provides a valuable opportunity to ensure that the electoral rolls are updated in a fair, inclusive, and transparent manner,” the letter reads.
In this regard, the letter said, the following considerations are respectfully submitted to guide such a process and request you to start the process in the state as early as possible, the letter reads
Here are TDP’s suggestions to the poll panel on SIR:
1. Adequate Time and Advance Notification: To ensure voter confidence and administrative preparedness, the SIR process should be conducted with sufficient lead time, ideally not within six months of any major election.
Voter Eligibility
2. Documentation and Presumption of Inclusion : Voters who are already enrolled in the most recent certified electoral roll should not be required to re-establish their eligibility unless specific and verifiable reasons are recorded. In line with the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court in Lal Babu Hussein v Electoral Registration Officer, prior inclusion creates a presumption of validity, and any deletion must be preceded by a valid inquiry.
The burden of proof lies with the ERO or objector, not the voter, especially when the name exists in the official roll.
Scope or SIR, citizenship check
3. Clarifying the Scope of SIR: The purpose of SIR must be clearly defined and limited to electoral roll correction and inclusion. It should be explicitly communicated that the exercise is not related to citizenship verification, and any field instructions must reflect this distinction.
The scope of the SIR must be clearly defined and must be limited to electoral roll recorrection and inclusion.
4. Migration and Inclusion Frameworks: Andhra Pradesh experiences high levels of seasonal migration, particularly from rural and coastal regions. SIRs should deploy mobile BLO units and accept temporary address declarations to prevent the exclusion of migrant workers and displaced families.
5. Procedural Clarity on Deletion and Redressal: We urge the Commission to ensure voter deletions follow a reasoned order with due notice, and to allow stage-wise verification.
Political Row over Bihar SIR
TDP’s letter comes amid opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, raising questions on the poll panel’s ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
The Congress has dubbed it ‘a rigging attempt’ orchestrated by the Election Commission under instructions from the ruling regime.
The Supreme Court on July 10 allowed the Election Commission of India to continue with its revision of electoral rolls IN poll-bound Bihar. The top court, however, asked the poll panel to consider using the Aadhaar card, the Election card, and the ration card as valid documents for voter identification.
With 11 more days left for the last date of submission of the filled Enumeration Forms (EFs) in the ongoing Bihar Special Intensive Revision (SIR), after two rounds of door-to-door visits by the Booth Level Officers (BLOs), out of the 7,89,69,844 voters in Bihar, EFs of 6,60,67,208 og 83.66 per cent have been collected, Election Commission said on July 14,
