Nearly 19.4 lakh voters flagged in SIR

Hyderabad’s draft electoral roll under Telangana’s Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, has put 19,41,444 electors on the deletion list across the district’s 15 Assembly constituencies, according to data published by the state election machinery and analyses based on those rolls. (ceotelangana.nic.in) The figure has drawn fresh scrutiny because Hyderabad recorded the highest number of deletions in the state. A preliminary analysis by the Kolkata-based Sabar Institute said 40.7% of the flagged names appeared to be Muslim-sounding, prompting concern from activists, opposition politicians and community groups about whether eligible voters could be excluded. (theprint.in) The Election Commission’s process is still open: claims and objections can be filed until September 16, and the final rolls are scheduled for October 19. ### Where does the 19.4 lakh figure come from? The Telangana Chief Electoral Officer’s SIR schedule shows draft rolls were published on August 17 after house-to-house enumeration ran from June 25 to August 10. Hyderabad district’s draft list contains 27,95,225 electors, while separate state-level deletion data show 19,41,444 names from Hyderabad were marked for removal under the absent, shifted, dead or duplicate categories. Statewide, Telangana had 3,38,26,448 voters as of June 10 and 2,64,87,213 in the draft roll, a decline of 21.7%, according to figures cited by local media from the Chief Electoral Officer’s release. Hyderabad accounted for the biggest district-level chunk of those deletions. (ceotelangana.nic.in) ### What exactly did the Sabar Institute analysis find? The Sabar Institute said its preliminary review of Hyderabad’s 15 Assembly constituencies found that 40.7% of the 19,41,444 flagged electors had Muslim-sounding names. The group also said the number of deletions exceeded the 2023 winning margin in every constituency. (ceotelangana.nic.in) Two constituencies stood out in the analysis. Malakpet and Yakutpura had deletion counts that were higher than the total votes polled there in the 2023 Assembly election, according to reports citing the study. (sakshipost.com) Scroll reported that Sabar Institute said it could not determine from the available data whether Muslims were being deleted at a higher rate than other communities, because religion-wise baseline electoral data were not available. That caveat has remained central to how the figures are being presented. (theprint.in) ### Why are Muslim names at the center of the dispute? Hyderabad’s old-city constituencies have large Muslim populations, and Siasat.com reported that three constituencies accounted for the bulk of the Muslim-named deletions. The constituency-level variation was wide: Deccan Herald, citing the same analysis, said the share of Muslim-named deletions ranged from 12.1% in Secunderabad Cantonment to 85.9% in Bahadurpura. (deccanherald.com) The issue has become politically sensitive because the flagged names are concentrated in seats where the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, or AIMIM, is electorally strong. Reports in Hyderabad media said political parties had already raised concerns during the SIR process that large-scale deletions in urban constituencies could alter the rolls before the next elections. (scroll.in) ### What are activists and political parties demanding now? Civil society groups in Telangana have asked the Election Commission of India and the state Chief Electoral Officer to prevent wrongful deletions and make the notice process more transparent. Hyderabad Mail reported that activists sent an urgent appeal last week warning that eligible voters could lose their franchise if objections and deletions were handled without adequate verification. (siasat.com) The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee’s Election Commission coordination panel separately told the Chief Electoral Officer that notices were being issued with very short lead times and that insisting on personal appearance could produce “large scale deletions,” according to The Hindu. (hyderabadmail.com) Siasat.com also reported demands that no voter be removed on the basis of unverified or politically motivated Form 7 objections. ### What can voters do if their names are missing? The Telangana Chief Electoral Officer has kept the claims-and-objections window open from August 17 to September 16 on the SIR portal and through election officials. (hyderabadmail.com) The state CEO website hosts the draft rolls, the ASDD list, and links for filing claims and objections. The Election Commission of India’s voter services portal also allows voters to search the electoral roll and verify whether their names appear in the draft list. The next formal milestone is October 19, when Telangana is scheduled to publish the final electoral roll after disposal of claims and objections. (electoralsearch.eci.gov.in) (ceotelangana.nic.in) (thehindu.com)