Published Feb 08, 2026 | 6:18 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 08, 2026 | 6:18 PM
Representational image. Credit: iStock
Synopsis: Telangana CEO C Sudharsan Reddy has urged political parties to swiftly appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. With mapping and verification underway, BLOs will conduct house visits to ensure accuracy. The initiative, part of ECI’s nationwide SIR, seeks transparency, inclusion of eligible voters, and removal of ineligible entries.
Telangana’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C Sudharsan Reddy has called on recognised political parties to expedite the appointment of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) for every polling station in preparation for the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The appeal was made during a key meeting with party representatives at the CEO’s office on Thursday, 5 February, where officials emphasised the critical role of booth-level coordination in ensuring a transparent and accurate voter list update.
The SIR, a comprehensive exercise by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to verify and cleanse electoral rolls, aims to include all eligible citizens while removing ineligible entries, such as duplicates, deceased voters, or non-citizens.
This nationwide process, last conducted over two decades ago between 2002 and 2004, addresses concerns raised by political parties about roll quality amid migration and demographic changes, among others.
In Telangana, preparatory activities are already in progress, even though the formal notification and schedule for the state are anticipated in April–May 2026.
The CEO said that SIR is currently in progress in 12 other states, with limited time available once the official timeline is announced. To bridge this gap, authorities have initiated mapping exercises linking current electors from the 2025 rolls to those in the 2002 SIR records.
This includes desk-based mapping followed by field-level verification, where Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conduct house-to-house visits, particularly in urban areas, to confirm residences and details.
Reddy stressed that BLOs will make three to four visits per polling area during the SIR. Enumeration forms will be distributed on the first visit, with follow-ups for households initially unavailable. He clarified that electors not mapped in the preparatory phase can still submit their details during the formal SIR process, ensuring no eligible voter is excluded.
The core focus of the meeting was the appointment of BLAs, who act as representatives of political parties at the booth level. The CEO recommended that BLAs be local residents of the respective polling stations to facilitate better coordination with BLOs.
He urged parties to appoint at least one BLA per polling station as soon as possible, noting that strong grassroots participation would enhance accuracy, promote transparency, enable timely issue resolution, minimise grievances, and prevent the wrongful exclusion of genuine voters.
Recognised political parties were encouraged to collaborate closely with election machinery to strengthen the integrity of the electoral rolls. This preparatory push in Telangana is in line with the ECI’s all India SIR initiative, which has seen phased rollouts across the country since late 2025.
In states where SIR is advanced, processes included house-to-house enumeration, draft roll publication, claims and objections periods, and final roll release.
There are over 3.39 crore electors and thousands of BLOs deployed across the state’s 119 assembly constituencies.
Officials reiterated that effective booth-level engagement is essential to avert errors and build public confidence in the revised rolls.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
