Hyderabad, July 3 -- In every assembly or Lok Sabha election in Telangana, there is one common complaint by the voters- "My vote got deleted from the electoral rolls." These are not just isolated incidents, but part of a chronic and systemic issue. Thousands of votes go missing from every constituency, which is revealed at the polling booths, sending many voters back dejected and anguished. These voters, most of whom have an Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC), but have not been able to exercise their franchise. These people have a big problem in the enumeration process presently underway, as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Social activist Dr Lubna Sarwath has flagged this issue to the Chief Electoral Officer of Te...