Telangana Publishes Draft Electoral Roll, Over 73 Lakh Names Excluded

Telangana’s draft electoral rolls released on Monday have flagged 73.39 lakh electors as absent, permanently shifted, deceased or having multiple enrolments during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The figure represents 21.70% of the 3.38 crore electors covered by the exercise. Another 92 lakh electors will receive notices over anomalies in their records or because officials could not establish a link with the 2002 electoral rolls.

Of the 73.39 lakh electors classified under the absent, shifted, dead and duplicate categories, 57.47 lakh, or 16.99% of the total electorate covered, were identified as permanently shifted or absent. Another 9.22 lakh, accounting for 2.73%, were identified as deceased, while 6.70 lakh, or 1.98%, were flagged for multiple enrolments. Permanently shifted voters formed the largest component of the flagged group, accounting for 61.57%, followed by untraceable or absent electors at 15.34%.

The proportion of such electors was highest in Hyderabad at 69.46%, followed by Medchal-Malkajgiri at 56.17% and Rangareddy at 53.35%. Sangareddy recorded 25.73%, while Zaheerabad recorded 21.78%. The figures emerged after a door-to-door enumeration exercise conducted between June 25 and August 10, during which enumeration forms were collected and digitised for 2.65 crore electors, representing 78.30% of those covered by the exercise.

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Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharshan Reddy said notices would be issued to around 60 lakh people placed in the anomalies category and another 32 lakh in the unmapped category. The latter includes electors for whom officials could not establish a link with the 2002 electoral rolls. The draft roll has now entered the claims and objections stage, allowing voters to raise concerns about missing names or seek corrections to their details.

Electors can approach election authorities between August 17 and September 16 during the claims and objections period. Eligible voters whose names are missing from the draft roll can use Form-6 to seek inclusion. The Election Commission has clarified that a voter cannot be removed solely on the basis of the enumeration exercise. Any deletion must follow due process involving notice, verification, an opportunity for a hearing and a reasoned order.

The electoral revision has also resulted in an increase in the number of polling stations in Telangana. The state now has 36,353 polling stations, 368 more than before the exercise. The revision involved 35,985 Booth Level Officers and 49,018 Booth Level Agents representing political parties. The claims and objections process will precede publication of the final electoral roll, which is scheduled for October 19, 2026.

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