Revanth Reddy seeks 4-week extension for Telangana voter roll objections

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has asked the Election Commission to extend the SIR claims window by four weeks. He said missing voters, daily wage earners and migrants need more time, documents and support to avoid wrongful deletion.

In Short

• Current claims window is too short for mammoth verification exercise, says CM
• Revanth Reddy seeks help desks, wider documents, additional electoral officers
• Reddy urges repeated Gram Sabha meetings to identify voter omissions

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has urged the Election Commission to extend by four weeks the period for filing claims and objections under the SIR beyond September 19, saying the current schedule is too short for such a large exercise. In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, he said voters whose names are missing from the draft rolls, especially those placed in the ASDD category of absent, shifted, dead and duplicate, need more time to check their status and submit claims.

Reddy said the period now notified for claims and objections runs from August 17 to September 16, with final publication fixed for September 19.

He said this was a very short window for a mammoth exercise and asked the Commission to allow more time so that no voter is left out for lack of opportunity.

"I would request that this period be extended by four weeks, so that electors whose names are missing from the draft rolls – the ASDD (absent, shifted, dead, duplicate) class particularly – have sufficient time to find out where they stand and to file Form 6 claims," Reddy said.

He also noted that the Election Commission manual provides for the draft roll to be read out at Gram Sabhas and, in urban areas, at ward committee meetings so that omissions can be identified and corrected in time.

The Chief Minister suggested that the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer should direct District Election Officers to convene these meetings at least twice.

He also asked that each elector be given at least three to four weeks to reply to notices issued during the SIR, saying daily wage earners and migrant workers may find it difficult to collect documents and respond within a week.

Reddy further proposed setting up help desks, especially in urban districts, to assist voters in replying to notices. Referring to the Election Commission's clarification that the Telangana government's Family Register Certificate will not be accepted in SIR verification, he said many voters may not have any of the admissible documents. He urged the Commission to notify a widened list of documents, including papers available at the mandal level.

He also sought the deployment of more Additional Electoral Registration Officers and permission for hearings on claims and objections below the ERO level.

Reddy said the outcome of the SIR should inspire confidence among voters and that no one should be omitted from the electoral rolls for want of time or opportunity to establish identity. He assured the Election Commission of all possible assistance.

- Ends