BJP Alleges Electoral Officers Handed Bulk SIR Forms To AIMIM Leaders In Hyderabad

On Tuesday, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by state unit president N Ramchander Rao submitted a complaint to the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer alleging that booth-level officers in Hyderabad's Old City are bypassing mandatory house-to-house visits. The BJP claimed that officers are instead distributing Special Summary Revision (SIR) enumeration forms in bulk at camps organized by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leaders.

According to the representation, the BJP alleged that these booth-level officers (BLOs) are also giving AIMIM leaders unauthorized access to the Election Commission of India (ECI) app to upload the completed enumeration forms.

The BJP stated that many voters, particularly in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and the municipal corporations of Cyberabad, Malkajgiri, Warangal, and Karimnagar, have not received the enumeration forms. The party noted that BLOs are finding it difficult to trace individual households.

In the GHMC, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri municipal corporation areas, family members are reportedly listed under different polling booths. The BJP argued that this fragmentation makes it highly difficult for BLOs to conduct efficient household visits.

Furthermore, the delegation raised concerns over language barriers. While enumeration forms printed in English are being distributed in Hyderabad, mostly Telugu forms are being distributed in the other districts. The BJP pointed out that this leaves voters who are natives of other states unable to understand the contents of the forms.

To resolve these issues, the BJP delegation urged the Chief Electoral Officer to make house-to-house visits by BLOs strictly mandatory. They recommended that officers should visit a household at least three times if the voters are absent during the initial attempts.

The house-to-house enumeration process for the SIR of electoral rolls commenced across Telangana on June 25 and is scheduled to continue until July 24.