Overview
- An opposition delegation led by state Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal submitted a memorandum to Chief Electoral Officer S. Chokalingam on Thursday, asking for a fair, transparent Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and a longer 18–24 month timeline.
- They argued the last full revision in 2002–04 took about 13 months and that the electorate has grown by roughly 35 million, with no state elections due soon to allow a careful update.
- The memorandum seeks guardrails that include a seven‑day notice before any name is removed, at least one month for objections, five‑year preservation of SIR records, and party access to machine‑readable files and printed lists.
- It also calls for clean operations that keep SIR work separate from the Census, ensure Booth Level Officers act independently, and require strict checks on Form 7 deletions with timely sharing of Absent, Shifted or Dead lists to parties.
- Citing the Chilume case in Karnataka and reports from West Bengal, the party warned against bulk deletions targeting minorities and migrants, and election authorities have not announced any changes in response.