Hyderabad voters begin receiving SIR notices.
Hyderabad: Members of civil society organisations and social activists in Telangana have urged election officials to bring greater transparency to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In a representation submitted to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gynesh Kumar and Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sudershan Reddy, the activists raised concerns over the notice and hearing process.
The activists demanded that every voter receiving an SIR notice should be informed in writing about the exact reason for it.
They said notices should clearly mention the mismatched details, the relevant 2002 SIR information, the voter’s current electoral-roll details and the specific discrepancy identified by officials.
According to the representation, voters should not be left to guess why their documents or details have been questioned.
The activists also called for a system that allows voters to track the complete status of their cases.
They demanded access to details including documents submitted by voters, documents uploaded by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), hearing information and comments or remarks made by BLOs.
The system should also show the recommendations or decisions of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and District Election Officers (DEOs).
They suggested status categories such as documents received, under scrutiny, accepted, further documents required, hearing required, discrepancy resolved and proposed adverse action.
Speaking to Siasat.com, similar requests are being made by the electors. One of the electors, Md Raheemuddin Hussaini from Malakpet constituency, said, “Process is really opaque, and this is specifically more problematic as we are in a critical phase of SIR. If any mistake happens, like not filling 2002 details or BLOs making mistakes in the enumeration phase can be rectified now. But hereafter, any mistake is a death blow for the voter.”
Another person, Abdul Rahman Bin Riyaz Khan from Kamareddy, said, “After completion of the Hearing Process, many people are in a dilemma whether their vote has been sent to the final roll or not, as there may be any Mistake from BLO/Citizen end which may keep them in a cliff-hanging situation. So, it would be best if the CEO Telangana gives a status tracker of notices”.
Syed Wali Uddin, an elector from Nirmal, said, “Having the option to track my notice status online gives me essential transparency. I deserve peace of mind after submitting my sensitive personal documents during the SIR hearing, and clear tracking helps me to take immediate action if any extra documents are needed before the verification deadline passes.”
The representation further demanded that voters should be informed in writing if any document or explanation is found insufficient during the SIR in Telangana.
Activists said voters must be allowed to submit additional documents or clarifications before any adverse decision is taken ahead of the final publication of the electoral roll.
The representation also called on the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer to publish daily statistics or bulletins on the official portal.
The proposed updates should include constituency-wise details on the number of notices issued, voters who attended hearings, approved claims and claims that were not approved or rejected.
The activists said regular publication of such information would improve transparency in the SIR process.
Meanwhile, many hearings are getting rescheduled as voters lack documents.
A report in Times of India quoted officials saying that around 50 percent of the hearings are getting rescheduled due to insufficient documents.
The report quoted Nalla Venkata Reddy, Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Medchal Constituency, saying that about 50 per cent of hearings are getting postponed so that voters can get time to submit the required documents.
This post was last modified on September 14, 2026 9:42 am