TDP MP calls Andhra SIR transparent, slams Congress for blaming it for poll losses

Telugu Desam Party MP Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu on Saturday defended the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Andhra Pradesh, calling the exercise transparent and accusing the Congress of blaming it for electoral defeats.

His remarks come amid a row over reports that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi repeatedly objected to decisions on voter-roll revision. The Congress has demanded answers from Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and called for his resignation.

TDP MP HAILS ANDHRA SIR

Devarayalu, the TDP’s Lok Sabha floor leader, said his party had supported SIR from the outset as a way to update the rolls.

“We have experienced the SIR exercise firsthand in Andhra Pradesh, and it stands as a testament to transparency and fairness,” he said.

The 43-year-old MP said parties had time to raise concerns, eligible voters had opportunities to register, and booth-level officers checked past and present rolls across the state during the four-month exercise.

“The process was so meticulously and transparently conducted that even the opposition in Andhra Pradesh could not find a single flaw to object to,” he said.

TDP QUESTIONS CONGRESS CRITICISM

The Narasaraopet MP accused the Congress of blaming SIR for its defeats while accepting the Election Commission’s decisions when it wins.

“If that were true, how do they explain their victories in other states?” he asked, citing the party’s win in Kerala.

Devarayalu said the Election Commission must answer the Opposition’s questions and expressed confidence that it would do so clearly.

THE SIR ROW

The Indian Express reported that Sandhu and Joshi had raised objections to poll panel decisions at least 14 times over 10 months. Their reported concerns included new voter enrolment, deletion and restoration of names, appeals against voter-related orders, and control of electoral-roll data.

One dispute concerns Form 6, which new voters use to apply for enrolment. The commissioners reportedly objected to an SIR-related declaration in the online application process, arguing that the statutory form could not be changed without amending the rules.

The Election Commission says Form 6 remains unchanged and the declaration is a separate requirement under its SIR orders. Commission sources said all three members ultimately approved the orders unanimously, despite differences during the process.