Congress Seeks SIR Deadline Extension in Telangana

 Report By Y-Trendz

Hyderabad, July 15, 2026 — The Telangana Congress has formally petitioned the state's top election authority to extend the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, warning that the

current timeline risks leaving genuine voters off the rolls. The move comes even as the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh has already secured a similar extension from the Election Commission.

Congress Delegation Meets CEO

A Congress delegation led by Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar submitted a memorandum to Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy in Hyderabad on Tuesday, formally requesting that the Election Commission push back the deadline for the SIR exercise. The delegation argued that extending the timeline was necessary to ensure no eligible voter is left out of the final electoral rolls, echoing concerns the party has raised since the drive began.

The submission adds to weeks of pressure from Congress and allied opposition parties, who have consistently argued that the current three-month window for the SIR exercise is too tight for a process as consequential as a full household-level re-verification of the state's electoral rolls.

Background: A Rushed Timeline, Opposition Alleges

The Special Intensive Revision in Telangana began with preparatory work from June 15 to June 24, followed by house-to-house enumeration by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) starting June 25. Under the original schedule, this door-to-door verification was to conclude on July 24, after which a draft electoral roll would be published on July 31. Claims and objections against the draft roll can then be filed until August 30, with the final electoral roll slated for release on October 1.

State Chief Electoral Officer Sudharshan Reddy had earlier been firm that the enumeration deadline would not be extended beyond July 24, telling reporters at a press conference that all arrangements had been made for BLOs to complete household visits within the stipulated window.

However, ground realities appear to be complicating that plan. In Hyderabad district alone, only about 81.09% of the exercise to distribute enumeration forms across all 15 assembly constituencies had been completed as of July 7, according to the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. BLOs deployed across the city have separately appealed for at least a month's extension, citing practical hurdles such as voters having shifted residences, houses remaining locked during visits, and the sheer scale of door-to-door coverage required in a dense urban district.

Opposition Unity on the Issue

Congress's demand is not an isolated one. Weeks earlier, the party joined the Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and Left parties in a large protest at Tank Bund in Hyderabad, where TJS president and MLC Prof. Kodandaram demanded that the Election Commission extend the SIR exercise to at least one year. Speaking at the protest, Kodandaram warned that completing the revision within the proposed three-month timeline could result in lakhs of eligible voters losing their right to vote, and called for complete transparency in the process. Congress MP Mallu Ravi and CPI MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao were among the leaders who participated alongside party workers and representatives of civil society organisations.

Congress has separately alleged that the SIR process has been used as a tool for electoral manipulation in as many as 14 states, a charge that has sharpened the party's insistence on a longer, more careful timeline in Telangana.

Andhra Pradesh Gets a Reprieve

Adding weight to the Telangana Congress's case, the Election Commission on Tuesday granted a 10-day extension to the SIR enumeration deadline in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, following a formal request from that state's Chief Electoral Officer, Vivek Yadav. Under the revised Andhra Pradesh schedule, house-to-house BLO visits and the rationalisation of polling stations will now continue up to July 24, with the draft electoral roll to be published on July 31 — the same date originally planned. The window for claims and objections in Andhra Pradesh has also been adjusted to run from July 31 to August 30, followed by a notice and disposal phase extending to September 28.

The Andhra Pradesh precedent is likely to bolster Telangana Congress's argument that a similar accommodation is both feasible and necessary. Whether the Election Commission grants Telangana's request remains to be seen, with the exercise's July 24 enumeration deadline now just days away and the draft roll publication date of July 31 fast approaching.