Hyderabad With the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls all set to commence in Telangana on Thursday, the ruling Congress in the state has sounded an alert to all its leaders and cadre at the ground level, asking them to be on toes to see that there is no large scale deletion of genuine voters.
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Addressing the party functionaries through a zoom conference on Wednesday, chief minister A Revanth Reddy warned the party leaders against being complacent and showing negligence during the SIR exercise, set to commence on Thursday,
“Leaders who fail to perform their responsibilities will be given 10 days to improve, failing which they will be replaced. They must ensure extensive awareness campaigns in villages with the support of sarpanches and grassroots workers,” the chief minister said.
The virtual meeting was attended by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud, AICC in-charge for Telangana Meenakshi Natarajan, deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, AICC secretary Sachin Sawant, ministers, MLAs, MPs and constituency in-charges.
The chief minister stressed that the voter list revision exercise was of critical importance and that party leaders at every level must remain vigilant to safeguard the voting rights of eligible citizens. “Any negligence in the process could adversely affect the party. Hence, accountability will be enforced,” he said.
TPCC president B Mahesh Kumar Goud urged the party MLAs, constituency in-charges and booth-level leaders to closely monitor the SIR process and ensure that no eligible voter is left out of the electoral rolls. He said Congress workers have a crucial responsibility in protecting voters’ rights and preventing any irregularities during the revision exercise.
Referring to political developments in other states, Goud alleged that attempts could be made to remove votes considered favourable to the Congress and secular parties.
“In West Bengal political parties had suffered due to inadequate vigilance over electoral rolls. We must be cautious to see that such mass deletion of voters does not happen here. Secular votes could become targets of manipulation and hence, party cadres must ensure that every eligible voter remains enrolled,” he said.
He also emphasised the importance of Booth Level Agents (BLAs), describing them as the backbone of the voter verification process. According to him, BLAs should work proactively to identify omissions and ensure that genuine voters are not excluded from the rolls.
AICC Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan called upon Congress workers and leaders across the state to actively participate in the SIR programme from day one. Describing voting as a fundamental constitutional right, she said the party must work to protect the franchise of every citizen.
“Illiterate, poor and rural voters may not be fully aware of the voter list revision process and therefore require assistance,” she said and suggested that Congress leaders establish help centres in villages, similar to arrangements made during elections, to facilitate voter verification and enrolment.
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 objective should be to ensure that every eligible voter remains on the electoral rolls and is able to exercise the right to vote,” Natarajan said.
