Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud on Tuesday, 18 August launched a sharp attack on the Election Commission of India (ECI), accusing it of arbitrarily deleting more than 73 lakh names from the draft voter list under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The criticism follows the ECI's publication of the draft electoral rolls on Monday, which removed 73.3 lakh electors marked as absent, shifted, dead, or duplicate.

Key Allegations by TPCC Chief

Goud alleged that the deletions were not the result of a fair or thorough process, charging that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) failed to visit households to distribute enumeration forms. He argued that the majority of those struck off the rolls were poor and migrant workers — groups least equipped to navigate bureaucratic documentation requirements.

He questioned the ECI's reliance on 2002 SIR details as a benchmark, pointing out that many families lack those records due to delimitation exercises and changes in polling station assignments over the years. 'Who has given you the right to delete the votes of citizens born in this country?' he asked, demanding that every eligible voter be given an opportunity to establish their credentials regardless of whether they possess older SIR documents.

Scale of Deletions and Flagged Voters

According to the draft rolls published by the ECI, 73.3 lakh electors have been removed, while an additional 92.8 lakh electors included in the draft have been flagged for anomalies in enumeration details or for not being mapped to a polling station. Together, the two categories account for a significant share of Telangana's registered voter base.

Notably, around 43 lakh of the 73.3 lakh removed voters were from Hyderabad and the adjoining districts of Rangareddy and Medchal-Malkajgiri — the state's most densely populated urban belt, home to large concentrations of migrant and informal-sector workers.

Congress Targets BJP and Constitutional Institutions

Goud broadened his attack beyond the voter list, alleging that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre has systematically weakened constitutional institutions since 2014. He claimed that the ECI, like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has effectively become an affiliate of the BJP — a charge the ruling party has consistently denied.

This is not the first time opposition parties have raised concerns about the ECI's independence. Critics have, over the past decade, repeatedly questioned the timing and methodology of electoral roll revisions, particularly ahead of state elections.

Demands: Deadline Extension and Independent Inquiry

The TPCC president demanded that the ECI extend the SIR deadline to allow a thorough, case-by-case inquiry into all deletions. He also called for a proper inquiry to ensure the voting rights of every eligible citizen are protected, stressing that birth in India and a history of voting should be considered sufficient grounds for reinstatement pending verification.

With assembly elections in Telangana on the horizon, the controversy over the draft rolls is likely to intensify. How the ECI responds to demands for a deadline extension and independent review will be closely watched by opposition parties and civil society groups across the state.