EC's Special Intensive Revision: BJP's Ally TDP Seeks Poll Body's Clarification Over Scope, Citizenship

The Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll, being done by the Election Commission of India, has raised several eyebrows, not only in opposition but among the ruling coalition as well. Smaller regional parties are concerned about the implications of the voter roll revision and fear disenfranchising of lakhs of voters. After the opposition parties, now the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has written to the Election Commission seeking clarity over the issue. 

A delegation of the TDP leaders led by its State president Palla Srinivasa Rao met the Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi in New Delhi and shared their concerns related to the SIR. In its letter, the TDP has sought clarity from the EC on 'the scope of the exercise' while urging the EC to make it clear that the SIR is not related to citizenship verification.

CEC Gyanesh Kumar and ECs Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi had an interaction with a delegation from the Telugu Desam Party led by its State President Shri Palla Srinivasa Rao and received their suggestions at Nirvachan Sadan, New Delhi today. pic.twitter.com/PgKOZsNAA6

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“The scope of the SIR must be clearly defined and must be limited to electoral roll recorrection and inclusion. It should be explicitly communicated that the exercise is not related to citizenship verification, and any field instructions must reflect this distinction,” reads the TDP letter to the ECI.

The TDP also urged the ECI not to conduct the SIR within six months of the polls. “To ensure voter confidence and administrative preparedness, the SIR process should be conducted with a sufficient time lead,” the letter reads.

According to an Indian Express report, the TDP also urged the EC not to force voters included in the electoral rolls to re-establish their eligibility 'unless specific and verifiable reasons are recorded'.

Notably, the TDP's letter comes after the ECI ordered Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all states to begin preparations for a Bihar-like exercise with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date. Notably, the voter list revision in Bihar has sparked a huge protest from the opposition parties with the case moving to the Supreme Court. The SC has permitted the ECI to carry out the exercise but imposed some riders to address the concerns raised by the political parties.