Key BJP ally TDP takes on EC, asks it to define scope of roll revision
Amid the brewing political storm over the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a key ally of the BJP-led ruling NDA government at the Centre, on Tuesday sought greater clarity from the Election Commission of India (ECI) on “the scope of the exercise” and asked it to clarify that it is “not related to citizenship verification”.
The party also advocated for “the presumption of inclusion”, stating that voters enrolled after the previous revision should not be required to re-establish their eligibility “unless specific and verifiable reasons are recorded”. Additionally, it called for a third-party audit under the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to identify anomalies.
In a letter to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, signed by TDP parliamentary party leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu and five other leaders, the party said, “The purpose of the SIR must be clearly defined and limited to electoral roll correction and inclusion. It should be explicitly communicated that the exercise is unrelated to citizenship verification and any field instructions must reflect this distinction.”
The TDP, whose delegation met the ECI earlier on Tuesday to submit the letter, pointed out. “The burden of proof lies with the electoral registration officer (ERO) or objector, not the voter, especially when the name already exists in the official roll.” Quoting a Supreme Court judgment, the letter stated that prior inclusion in electoral rolls created a presumption of validity and any deletion must follow a valid inquiry.
ECI sources told The Tribune that the poll body would examine each suggestion and take necessary action within the legal framework. The letter was also signed by TDP MPs Byreddy Shabari and D Prasada Rao, TDP Andhra president Palla Srinivasa Rao and MLA Koona Ravi Kumar.
The ECI had invited the TDP delegation as part of its ongoing effort to seek suggestions from political parties to strengthen electoral processes.
The TDP further urged the ECI to ensure that the SIR process was conducted with sufficient lead time, ideally not within six months of any major election, to maintain voter confidence and administrative preparedness. Noting that Andhra Pradesh’s Assembly polls, where the TDP is in power with allies BJP and Pawan Kalyan’s Jana Sena Party (JSP), are not due until 2029, the letter stated that the SIR provided an opportunity to update electoral rolls in a fair, inclusive and transparent manner.
Highlighting seasonal migration in coastal Andhra, the TDP proposed allowing temporary address declarations with basic documentation and age-wise verification if documents cannot be submitted at the time of visit.
The party suggested several reforms, including annual third-party audits under the CAG to identify anomalies, AI-driven tools to flag duplication and deceased entries in real time and a time-bound grievance redressal mechanism at the BLO/ERO level to rectify wrongful exclusions. It also recommended standardising door numbers nationwide as a policy measure to strengthen electoral rolls.
Other proposals included rectifying duplicate EPIC numbers using Aadhaar, expediting the issuance of unique, non-replicable EPIC numbers, and replacing ink-based verification with biometric verification while ensuring robust data privacy protections.
The TDP also sought mandatory involvement of booth-level agents (BLAs) from all recognised parties across the country and compulsory pre-publication sharing of draft rolls with BLAs for real-time verification. To ensure the inclusion of marginalised and migrant voters, the party called for targeted re-enrollment campaigns for migrant workers, tribal groups, the elderly and homeless citizens.
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