Telangana SIR Enters Final Phase as Nearly 47 Lakh Voters Face Exclusion Risk

Nearly 47 lakh voters in Telangana face the prospect of being left out of the final electoral rolls as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) moves into its concluding phase. The exercise began in the state on June 25, 2026, when Telangana had 3,38,26,448 registered electors.

During the draft-roll stage, 73,39,235 electors — 21.70% of the electorate — were placed in the Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate (ASDD) category. Their names were kept out of the draft roll, pending claims, objections and verification.

Election authorities had conducted 58,97,432 hearings as of September 28. Of these, 45,54,236 electors were found eligible for inclusion in the final rolls. Notices were required to be generated for 92,88,181 logical discrepancy and no-mapping cases; 92,88,180 have been issued, 87,85,739 delivered, and 5,02,441 remain pending.

Officials cautioned that failing to respond to a notice or complete the required verification could result in a name being dropped from the final electoral rolls.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has stepped up his opposition to the exercise, invoking the freedom movement slogan "Simon Go Back" and calling for a nationwide campaign against the SIR. "It is straightforward. In 1929, the slogan 'Simon Go Back' was raised. Today, it is SIR. Go Back, SIR Go Back. Until the SIR is taken back, the youth of this country are not going to stop," he said.

Reddy alleged that the Election Commission was being misused to remove genuine voters opposed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, claiming that decisions were being taken without the knowledge of the other two Election Commissioners. "This is not merely a problem for the Congress party. It is a crisis for the nation's democracy," he said.

The Election Commission has extended the Telangana SIR schedule. Claims and objections may now be filed until October 7, while disposal of claims, objections and notices will continue until November 5. The final electoral rolls are scheduled for publication on November 9, 2026. The timeline was extended by three weeks to give officials more time to complete the notice, hearing and verification process.