Ex-IAS officers and techies lead Hyderabad protest against voter-roll revision, demand CEC’s exit

More than 300 people gathered at Dharna Chowk in Hyderabad’s Indira Park on Saturday to protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The sit-in, from 10 am to 4 pm, was led by the Telangana People’s Front (TPF), a new pressure group whose founders include retired civil servants and IT professionals.

What they want

• Roll back the SIR.
• The resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
• Repeal of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which changed how election commissioners are appointed.

The office of the CEC stands compromised. Therefore, this is a peaceful protest and a call asking for him to resign on moral grounds. — M.V. Reddy, retired IAS officer and TPF co-founder

Who is behind it

The TPF’s founders include Reddy, retired civil servant Murali Akunuri, Professor Padmaja Shaw, urban policy expert Srujana Yadav, IT entrepreneur Nikhil Vijay Krishna, advocate Muppuri Kumar and social activist N. Rubina. Members of the Cockroach Janata Party and about ten other groups joined them.

We are not an offshoot of any ideology, and we believe in providing institutionally solvable solutions. — Srujana Yadav, TPF

The numbers

According to the protesters, about 13 crore voters have been struck off draft rolls across 30 states and Union Territories under the SIR. In Telangana, more than 73 lakh voters have received notices. The protest is part of a wider wave against the revision, with demonstrations in Delhi and other cities.

Sources: ThePrint, Al Jazeera.