Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy has directed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across the State to speed up the disposal of pending cases under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The directions were issued during a video conference in which the CEO reviewed the progress of the revision process with District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and other election officials. The review focused particularly on the delivery of notices, scheduled hearings and cases that are still awaiting disposal.
BLOs asked to personally deliver notices
Reddy instructed BLOs to ensure that every notice reaches the concerned elector personally. Officials have been told not to treat notice delivery as a routine paperwork exercise, as electors need to be informed properly about cases concerning their electoral-roll records.
BLOs have also been asked to make use of additional logins provided to the districts so that pending cases can be processed without unnecessary delay.
Help from Booth Level Agents
The CEO also asked BLOs to seek assistance from Booth Level Agents (BLAs), particularly in urban areas where locating voters’ addresses can sometimes be difficult.
Election officials have been instructed to share lists relating to unmapped cases and anomaly cases with political parties during meetings. BLAs have also been encouraged to participate actively during the claims-and-objections stage of the SIR process.
Officials told to upload documents carefully
Reddy directed BLOs, BLO Supervisors and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) to ensure that supporting documents are uploaded correctly and in accordance with the Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines.
The CEO also placed responsibility on EROs and AEROs for errors committed by computer operators working under their supervision. This means senior election officials are expected to monitor the digitisation process rather than simply rely on data-entry staff.
Special attention to elderly voters and persons with disabilities
The CEO instructed BLO Supervisors to make special efforts to assist elderly electors and persons with disabilities in areas where the designated hearing locations have not been covered.
Supervisors have been asked to visit such voters where necessary so that they are not excluded from the revision and claims-and-objections process because of mobility or accessibility problems.
Help desks activated
To assist voters with questions and difficulties relating to the SIR process, help desks have been activated at the ERO and DEO levels.
These facilities are intended to provide voters with information and assistance regarding their electoral-roll cases and the procedures available to them.
Large number of notices still pending
The latest review comes amid a significant backlog in notice delivery. Reports indicate that around 92.8 lakh notices have been generated in Telangana, of which approximately 52.9 lakh had been delivered, leaving nearly 39.9 lakh notices pending as of September 7.
The pending notices have become one of the major challenges in completing the SIR process within the originally planned timetable.
Because of the backlog, the Telangana CEO has also sought additional time from the Election Commission to complete the exercise. Reports say an extension of around two to three weeks has been requested.
SIR schedule revised
The Election Commission has subsequently revised the timetable for the Telangana SIR process. The period for submitting claims and objections has been extended to October 7, while the process of issuing notices and disposing of claims and objections will continue until November 5.
The final electoral roll is now expected to be published on November 9, 2026, instead of the earlier October 19 deadline.
Why the SIR exercise is important
The Special Intensive Revision is being conducted to update and verify Telangana’s electoral rolls. The exercise involves checking voter information, identifying discrepancies and allowing eligible electors to raise claims or objections.
The Election Commission’s objective is to prepare a more accurate electoral roll while giving affected voters an opportunity to provide documents and clarify their status.
The CEO has repeatedly instructed election officials to complete the process accurately, transparently and within the prescribed rules. Earlier directions also stressed that BLOs must assist voters with enumeration forms and ensure that completed information is digitised correctly.
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