BRS Urges EC to Extend SIR Schedule in Telangana by a Month

Raising concerns regarding the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Telangana, including the deletion of voters over minor spelling mistakes and non-availability of the 2002 electoral roll, the BRS on Monday urged the Election Commission to extend the present schedule of the exercise by a month. In a representation submitted to the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C Sudharshan Reddy, the BRS said the present time schedule is not sufficient to resolve several issues and to complete the SIR process effectively. The party asked the EC to extend the schedule by one month to ensure all genuine voters have a fair opportunity and the process is completed transparently and without errors. Former BRS MP B Vinod Kumar, who led the party delegation, said the CEO assured that the request to extend the schedule by a month to the EC. The house-to-house enumeration of voters for the SIR of electoral rolls commenced in Telangana on June 25, and the exercise would continue till July 24. BRS said one of the main concerns regarding ongoing SIR is the non-availability of the 2002 electoral roll, which has been taken as the reference document for verification during the ongoing SIR. The 2002 electoral roll has not been supplied to the political parties, and the parties have been advised to obtain the same from the official website, which remains inaccessible or non-functional on several occasions, the party said.