Speakers at a roundtable meeting organised by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) here on Friday expressed concern over what they described as a threat to the voting right arising from the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and called for measures to ensure that no eligible voter was excluded from electoral rolls.

The meeting, chaired by CPI(M) State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao, adopted a resolution stating that it was the responsibility of the Election Commission to protect the voting rights of all citizens who had attained the age of 18.

Moving the resolution, CPI(M) State secretariat member Ch. Babu Rao said the responsibility of protecting voting rights rested with all sections of society.

The meeting decided to form a Voter Protection Forum to monitor alleged irregularities and safeguard voting rights. It would consult public organisations and political parties before finalising its composition and submit a representation to the Chief Electoral Officer.

Senior advocate Sunkara Rajendra Prasad was named convener. Former IPS officer A.B. Venkateswara Rao, former MLC K.S. Lakshmana Rao, V. Lakshmana Reddy (Jana Chaitanya Vedika), Ramesh Patnaik (Meluko Andhra Pradesh), social activist Kurra Vasundhara and others will be associated with it.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao alleged that the SIR process was being used to remove names from electoral rolls and criticised the procedure requiring voters to establish their eligibility. The Election Commission should take responsibility for correcting errors and ensure the inclusion of every eligible citizen, he said, and demanded that the voter registration deadline be extended till the end of September.

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Mr. Venkateswara Rao suggested establishing a helpline to assist voters facing difficulties. Senior YSRCP leader Malladi Vishnu and others criticised the way the exercise was being conducted.

APCC leader Kolanukonda Sivaji, AP Bar Council member Sunkara Rajendra Prasad, New Democracy leader P. Prasad, Jana Chaitanya Vedika convener V. Lakshmana Reddy, MCPI(U) leader M. Venkata Reddy, former IPS officer A.B. Venkateswara Rao, Meluko Andhra Pradesh convener Ramesh Patnaik and CPI(ML) Liberation leader Uday were among those who spoke.

Published - August 21, 2026 09:11 pm IST