Gyanesh Kumar said voter lists must include “only Indian citizens” and stressed the need for periodic “purification of electoral rolls”.
He praised Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision, citing removal of fake, deceased and shifted voters, with no complaints or re-polls.
The CEC said BLOs are the backbone of elections and urged Telangana to set a national example in the SIR process.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar emphasised the necessity of "purification of electoral rolls" on occasion, stating on Sunday that the list of voters should only include Indian citizens.
Speaking to the Telangana Booth Level Officers (BLOs) present, he declared that India is the largest democracy in the world.
The BLOs were the foundation of India's election system, and their dedication and honesty were essential to the electoral roll cleansing process.
He pointed out that in order to comprehend how the largest democracy in the world operated, the international community kept a careful eye on India's elections.
He claimed that the Bihar BLOs had led the nation during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Telangana would show the entire nation how the process should be carried out as part of phase III of SIR.
He claimed that the Election Commission's SIR in Bihar had been completed perfectly.
In Bihar, there were seven lakh fraudulent voters, 22 lakh deceased voters, and 36 lakh voters who had moved (permanently).
He added that the final list included 7.5 crore voters and that there were no complaints, recounts, or re-polling. He also praised Bihar's BLOs for their excellent work.
"From time to time, electoral rolls have to be purified. SIR will also be undertaken in Telangana. Prepare such an electoral roll which has names of only those who are elgibile. This is your work and it is very important for democracy. Purified electoral rolls are essential for a healthy democracy," Kumar said.
The voter list purification exercise was completed in Bihar and the drive is going on in 12 states, he said.
"Only Indian citizens should be part of the voters’ list. Should an outsider be in the voter list? Be it of any religion...they should be Indian," he said.
He further said elections in India were conducted strictly in accordance with the law of the land and that all stakeholders were bound to comply with election laws.
According to Kumar, who recently took over as chair of the Council of Member States of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) for the year 2026 in Stockholm, the Election Commission of India has gained international recognition as one of the most reputable and creative election management organisations in the world.
The country has over 900 million electors, he said.
In his interactions with BLOs, the CEC noted that while rural voters had continuously led the way by showing up with enthusiasm and forming lengthy lines, urban voter indifference continued to be a major factor in lower polling percentages in cities.
C Sudharshan Reddy, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer, also gave a speech.
