Panic over Telangana’s voter purge

The article discusses the alarm raised by the ruling Congress party in Telangana over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, fearing a large-scale voter purge. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy expressed concern over a potential 21% reduction in voter numbers, drawing parallels to alleged purges in West Bengal and Assam. The party criticized its own organization for a 'lackadaisical approach' in deploying Booth Level Agents during field verification. The Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office reported that 21.7% of enumeration forms were 'uncollectable' and nearly 20 lakh entries were inconsistent, potentially affecting 94 lakh electors. The Congress fears this could disproportionately affect poorer sections and minorities, impacting their voting rights and access to welfare benefits. Factors cited include alleged skipped door-to-door verification and 'dual voter' issues due to migration, particularly around Hyderabad. The party is now focusing on the 'claims and objections' phase to protect its voter base.