BRS demands crackdown on duplicate voter registrations in Telangana ahead of SIR

BRS stressed that dual registrations undermine the purity and credibility of electoral rolls and go against the principle of "one citizen, one vote."

Published Jun 24, 2026 | 12:47 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 24, 2026 | 12:47 PM

BRS working president KT Rama Rao. Credit: x.com/BRSparty

Synopsis: BRS submitted a formal representation to the Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana on 23 June, 2026, demanding rigorous implementation of the SIR of electoral rolls commencing 25 June. Citing widespread duplicate registrations due to migration in Hyderabad and surrounding areas, BRS called for inter-state coordination, field verification, and removal of bogus entries while protecting genuine voters.

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has submitted a formal representation to the Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana, C. Sudarshan Reddy, demanding stringent implementation of guidelines during the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, set to commence on 25 June, 2026.

In the letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner and the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer, BRS highlighted concerns over widespread duplicate voter registrations, particularly in urban hubs like Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Secunderabad.

The party noted that these areas have attracted large-scale migration from various states including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand for employment, business, education, and livelihood opportunities.

“Many such persons have migrated to Telangana… some of them may have obtained voter registration here while simultaneously continuing to retain their names in the electoral rolls of their native States,” the representation stated.

BRS stressed that such dual registrations undermine the purity and credibility of electoral rolls and go against the principle of “one citizen, one vote.”

Also Read: CM Revanth rejects Bandi Sanjay’s ‘surrender’ claim in son’s POCSO case, slams BRS for ‘politicising issue’

BRS urges ECI to issue appropriate directions for:

Strict implementation of all guidelines for the SIR.
Effective supervision and monitoring of the revision process.
Identification and removal of duplicate registrations within the same constituency, across constituencies, districts, and states.
Special verification of electors enrolled in Telangana who may retain names in other states’ rolls.
Establishment of coordination and data-sharing mechanisms with electoral authorities of other states.
Thorough field verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs).
Removal of names of deceased, fictitious, shifted, and ineligible persons after due verification.
Ensuring no genuine voter is deleted without prior notice and due process.
Maintaining complete transparency and sharing relevant information with recognized political parties.
Providing political parties an effective opportunity to submit objections and supporting material.
Establishing a dedicated grievance redressal mechanism.
Utilising technological and digital tools for detecting duplicates.
Conducting periodic reviews of the revision progress.
Taking action against negligent officials.
Issuing specific instructions to subordinate authorities to preserve the integrity of the process.

The representation was signed by senior BRS leaders: MLC Dasoju Sravan Kumar, Former MLC Karne Prabhakar, Former MP and General Secretary Ravula Chandrashekar Reddy, and General Secretary & Authorized Representative to the ECI Soma Bharat Kumar.

A party delegation met the CEO to submit the representation. BRS assured full cooperation with the EC to achieve transparency, integrity, fairness, and accuracy in the electoral rolls.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Dr Dasoju Sravan Kumar said, “One citizen, one vote is the fundamental principle of democracy. We will completely dismantle the network of bogus and duplicate voters operating across the state.”

He warned that maintaining voter registrations in more than one place is a punishable offence under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, with imprisonment up to one year, and urged individuals with multiple registrations to correct them immediately.

The party cited a previous instance in Jubilee Hills constituency where BRS submitted a list of 30,000 suspected bogus voters, leading to the deletion of 6,000 fraudulent entries, and called for a similar comprehensive statewide exercise.