Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 30 : Telangana Congress leaders on Friday stressed the need for vigilance in the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, saying the party will not allow a repeat of what happened in Bihar and Kolkata in the state.
Speaking after a joint meeting of the Telangana Congress Political Affairs Committee, state Minister and former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin said the issue was important.
"It is a very important issue. We will not let what happened in Bihar and Kolkata happen in Telangana. There is still time," Azharuddin told reporters.
Telangana Minister Sridhar Babu Duddilla called the meeting a routine exercise by the PCC and the AICC General Secretary in charge.
He added that party workers had given suggestions to strengthen the Congress at the grassroots level.
"It is a routine exercise by the PCC and AICC General secretary in charge. Many people have expressed their suggestions to strengthen the party at the grassroots. Every cadre and member of the party has to take keen interest in the SIR of electoral rolls," Duddilla told ANI.
Minister Gaddam Vivek Venkatswamy said the Political Affairs Committee discussed steps to ensure only genuine voters remain on the electoral list.
"Today in the political affairs committee we discussed about the SIR and effective steps to take to see that genuine voters are there in the list," Venkatswamy told reporters.
Meanwhile, Telangana Congress has called for the SIR process to be conducted with "transparency".
A delegation of state Congress leaders met with the State Chief Electoral Officer over the issue earlier, urging that the SIR process be conducted with complete transparency and be extended for a period of time since no major elections are scheduled in the state.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on May 14 announced the conduct of Special Intensive Revision Phase-III of electoral rolls across 16 States and three Union Territories, covering over 36 crore electors in a phased manner, including Telagana.