Activists Seek 15-Day Buffer Before Telangana Draft Electoral Roll Publication

Civil society organisations engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) volunteer work have requested the Election Commission of India and the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer to grant a 15-day buffer period for electors categorised under ASDD and 'uncollectable' before the Draft Electoral Roll is published.

In a joint letter to election authorities, civil society groups Adalah and Aseem urged officials to postpone the publication of the draft roll, which was slated for August 17, by a fortnight. They also sought an online option allowing applicants to check their names on the list and verify their status.

The organisations called for strict adherence to prescribed procedures prior to deleting any existing electors. They requested the establishment of a dedicated mechanism to restore the names of voters wrongly omitted or deleted during the revision process, alongside the preservation of their prior electoral records.

Adalah office bearer M.A. Mujeeb stated that it is grossly unfair if an individual who voted in previous elections is wrongly deleted from the rolls, adding that asking such voters to register anew as fresh applicants would be an even greater injustice.

The groups further sought clarity on available remedies, including the formal appellate process. They emphasised that Form 6 must not be treated as a substitute for deletion, appeal, and restoration procedures designed for existing electors, while urging authorities to hold structured consultations with grassroots stakeholders.

With the SIR enumeration phase concluding on August 10, more than 73 lakh entries were marked as 'uncollectible'. Activists noted that the inability of Booth Level Officers to collect enumeration forms does not definitively establish that a voter has died or permanently relocated, as electors might have been temporarily unavailable, unlocated, or relocated within the same locality as tenants.