Hyderabad, adjoining ACs drive Telangana’s record SIR deletions

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Telangana led to a record 21.7% deletion of names from its pre-election electoral rolls, the highest percentage in the country. This figure surpasses the deletion rates of major neighboring states such as Uttar Pradesh (18.7%), Tamil Nadu (15.2%), and Gujarat (14.5%). The SIR process is currently ongoing, and the final draft electoral roll will include the addition and re-entry of electors following the corrections period. However, even with this in consideration, Telangana's deletion rate remains notably high.

Regions within Hyderabad and Secunderabad were particularly affected, with Musheerabad, Sanathnagar, Malakpet, Lal Bahadur Nagar, Jubilee Hills, Secunderabad Cantonment, and Serilingampally recording the highest deletion rates, ranging from 44.1% to 45.2%. The SIR process has also resulted in a slight increase in the gender ratio in Telangana's draft rolls, whereas in other states like Bihar, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Kerala, a drop in the gender ratio was observed between their 2024 Lok Sabha rolls and final SIR rolls. This increase in the gender ratio in Telangana's draft rolls is still provisional and might change.

The urban-rural split in terms of deletions was significant, with the "Highly Urban" constituencies experiencing a deletion rate of 40.4%, while the "Moderately Urban" constituencies saw a rate of 29.8%. Notably, several peri-urban areas adjoining Hyderabad, such as Maheswaram, Patancheru, Medchal Malkajgiri, and Rangareddy district, had deletion rates at or above the "Highly Urban" range. In contrast, "Moderately Rural" and "Highly Rural" constituencies had lower deletion rates, standing at 12.37% and 11.92% respectively.