HYDERABAD: Hundreds of people gathered at Dharna Chowk near Indira Park on Saturday, demanding that the Election Commission of India (ECI) scrap the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The protest, held from 10 am to 2.30 pm, was jointly organised by several groups, including the Telangana Praja Front (TPF), Telangana Voters Rights Forum (TVRF), National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), Students Islamic Union (SIU) and Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), besides other civil society organisations. Actor and social activist Prakash Raj also addressed the gathering.
The protesters made three key demands — scrapping the SIR, the immediate resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and repeal of the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Act, 2023. Protesters carried banners and placards with slogans such as “Scrap SIR” and “Save Democracy”.
The protest comes as the SIR exercise in Telangana has entered the disposal and verification stage, with the final electoral rolls scheduled to be published on November 9.
The organisers and protesters raised concerns over transparency in the revision process and said they would hold a larger demonstration in Delhi on October 10 if their demands were not addressed.