Hyderabad, July 14 (RAHNUMA): A delegation of Congress leaders has formally requested the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend the deadline for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Telangana.
Led by Hyderabad in-charge Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, the delegation met Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C. Sudarshan Reddy on Tuesday. The team included MLCs Addanki Dayakar and Balamuri Venkat, MLAs Sri Ganesh and Naveen Yadav, DCC Presidents Deepak John and Motha Rohith, and TPCC Election Commission Coordination Committee Chairman Rajesh.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Minister Ponnam Prabhakar highlighted that the voter revision process has been moving at a sluggish pace across the state. He emphasised that the delays are particularly pronounced in the 15 Assembly constituencies within the Hyderabad district, necessitating an immediate extension to ensure no eligible voter is left behind.
“The voter revision process has been completed only to the extent of around 21 per cent on average in Hyderabad district. With only 10 days left, we have requested the Election Commission to extend the deadline,” he said.
The Minister said that as the Minister in charge of Hyderabad district, he, along with the city’s MLCs, MLAs and DCC presidents, met the Election Commission to highlight the issue.
Ponnam Prabhakar noted that Hyderabad has nearly 4,500 polling stations and said the voter revision process in urban areas was not progressing satisfactorily. He suggested involving college students, particularly in Hyderabad, to improve public participation in the exercise.
The Minister also said complaints were being received that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were not visiting households and were not distributing the required forms properly.
He, however, acknowledged that the State government had ensured timely payment to BLOs and that they were not facing any payment-related issues.
Stating that the remaining 10-day period was insufficient, the Minister reiterated the demand for an extension of the SIR deadline. He said BLOs were encountering difficulties at the field level and suggested that the Election Commission seek the support of engineering college students, government teachers and the GHMC to expedite the process in Hyderabad.
He said the Congress party had directed its cadre in Hyderabad to actively participate in the voter revision campaign over the next 10 days.
