Hyderabad: TPCC Election Commission Coordination Committee chairperson Pulipati Rajesh Kumar on Monday alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Telangana and expressed concern that genuine voters could be excluded. He said the status of about 1.31 crore electors was ‘in limbo’.Rajesh alleged that the Union govt was using the Election Commission to remove voters perceived to be supporting the Congress. He demanded accountability if any genuine eligible voter was deleted from the electoral rolls.Congress flags enumeration forms, anomalies and ASD entriesCiting Election Commission data, Rajesh Kumar said 72.2 lakh electors had not filled out enumeration forms, while 61.1 lakh cases had been classified as anomalies. He said another 2.8 lakh names were on the ASD list and 3.1 lakh were classified as Demographic Similar Entries (DSE).He claimed that the status of about 1.31 crore voters, out of approximately 3.38 crore electors in Telangana, had consequently come into question during the exercise.Rajesh further alleged that approximately 75 lakh names could be left out of the draft electoral roll. The figures and projected deletions cited by him could not be independently verified from the press note.TPCC questions implementation of BLO enumeration exerciseRajesh Kumar said Election Commission guidelines required every Booth Level Officer (BLO) to visit each elector at least three times and collect completed enumeration forms.He alleged that such an exercise was carried out across Telangana only during the first three to four days, even as election authorities maintained that enumeration forms had been distributed to all voters.“If they have distributed 100%, then why are hundreds of enumeration forms still with the BLOs?” he asked.Rajesh alleged that some forms had not been given to electors and that the corresponding names were entered in what he described as the ‘ASD list’, with signatures obtained from Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of political parties.He questioned who would be held responsible if genuine eligible electors were removed from the rolls.Congress alleges weaker sections could be affectedRajesh also raised concerns about the possible impact of deletions from the electoral rolls on poor and weaker sections.“Who will be responsible if the central govt excludes poor and weaker-section voters from welfare schemes?” he asked.He alleged that the Union govt believed poor and weaker-section voters in Telangana supported the Congress and was therefore using the Election Commission to remove their names from the electoral rolls in an attempt to hurt the Congress in the next election.“The Election Commission and the Union govt have to take responsibility if a single genuine eligible voter is deleted in this process,” Rajesh said.
