Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar hopes that Telangana will set a benchmark for the country in conducting a Special Intensive Review (SIR) aimed at cleaning up voter rolls.
Citing the recently completed SIR process in Bihar as a benchmark, he said that Telangana would enter a new era of election administration once the electoral roll cleansing process was completed. The Chief Election Commissioner, who was here on a three-day visit, was addressing a cabin level officials (BLO) meeting on Sunday.
He described BLOs as the backbone of India’s electoral system and that the success of cleaning the electoral rolls depends on their diligence and integrity. Their role has gained prominence at a time when the global community has been closely watching the country’s elections to understand how the world’s largest democracy works.
Referring to the massive SIR exercise conducted in Bihar, Mr. Gyanesh Kumar claimed that it was conducted flawlessly and enabled around 75 million voters to participate in the recent assembly elections. The process saw zero complaints, zero repeat queries and zero recounts, he said, congratulating Bihar’s BLOs for setting a high national standard.
The Chief Election Commissioner said that Telangana will similarly enter a new era of election administration once the SIR is completed. During his interaction with the BLOs, the CEC found that urban voter apathy remained the key reason for the lower polling percentage in cities, while rural voters kept showing the way by enthusiastically walking and standing in long queues.
He reiterated that the country’s elections were conducted strictly in accordance with the law and that all parties involved were bound to abide by the electoral laws. He recalled that India had recently assumed the chairmanship of International IDEA, almost three decades after it became a member in 1995. This, he said, was a development that reflected the global recognition of the ECI as one of the most credible and innovative election management bodies in the world.
Highlighting the scale of India’s democratic exercise, he said the country has more than 900 million voters spread across 28 states and eight union territories.
Earlier, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarshan Reddy explained the electoral statistics of the state
Published – 21 Dec 2025 20:49 IST
