How a Tech-Savvy Congress Leader is Streamlining SIR in Hyderabad
Indiadailyupdate.com – The Election Commission of India (EC) flagged 88,13,207 voter records with discrepancies by June 4, prompting concerns among political parties and citizens as the SIR process commenced in Telangana on June 25. With 2,32,96,233 votes digitally mapped, the flagged figures could increase once all 3.39 crore votes are fully processed. While the EC clarified that flagged records do not confirm fraud and can be resolved with proper documentation, many voters struggled to grasp the process and submit required proof.
Telangana’s Chief Minister, A. Revanth Reddy, directed party officials to assist voters in maintaining their names on electoral rolls. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka also criticized the EC’s methodology after his own vote was flagged, urging a review of the process. These reactions underscore the growing unease within the ruling party, a sentiment echoed by opposition groups as well.
A Former Engineer’s Innovative Solution
Syed Khalid Saifulla, president of the Hyderabad District Congress Committee, introduced a new app designed for Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to detect anomalies and streamline the SIR process. A former software engineer at Invesco Mutual Fund, Khalid later contributed to the Congress party’s IT wing in New Delhi as national vice-president. His previous work includes the development of the “Missing Voters App” in 2017, which reportedly helped identify nearly three crore missing records, a feat acknowledged by the EC.
“We have downloaded constituency-wise electoral rolls, converted them into Excel sheets, and identified different issues. We also trained BLAs to recognize these problems. These details are just a few clicks away for BLAs,” Khalid explained to THE WEEK.
The BLAs App offers booth-specific insights, highlighting voter records with discrepancies, duplicate entries, unmapped voters, and potential unregistered individuals. BLAs access the app via login, enabling them to review data during household visits and verify entries efficiently. Currently, the tool is operational in five Hyderabad district assembly constituencies, where Khalid noted 40% of voter records have been flagged for anomalies.
Khalid attributed the high anomaly rate to AIMIM, accusing the party’s MLAs of controlling BLAs and uploading data without sufficient understanding of the enrolment process. He aims to expand the app across Telangana, though Congress leadership has yet to decide on its rollout. Khalid believes the app will enhance BLA efficiency and boost voter registration during the SIR process.
