ECI extends Telangana voter enumeration deadline to July 24 as Hyderabad coverage lags

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has extended the deadline for the distribution and collection of voter enumeration forms for the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Telangana to July 24. The extension from the previous Wednesday deadline comes amid low coverage in urban parts of Hyderabad, such as Musheerabad, which recorded just 19 percent coverage due to a shortage of forms, and Chandrayangutta, which recorded 51 percent.

Statewide, only 63.8 percent of voters who participated in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections—representing 2.16 crore forms—have been covered. While Nalgonda led the state with 97 percent coverage and Sircilla followed at 96 percent, the overall figure for the 15 Assembly constituencies in Hyderabad district stood at just 35 percent.

To assist voters, the ECI also began distributing Urdu "dummy copies" of the enumeration forms. This initiative follows a recommendation by the Telangana High Court for regions where the Urdu-speaking voter population exceeds 20 percent, including Nizamabad Urban and the 15 constituencies of Hyderabad.

Poll officials stated that the enumeration process will run parallel to house-to-house verification. Officials assured anxious citizens that booth level officers (BLOs) will continue visiting households to distribute and verify forms. To address ongoing complaints of inefficient ground staff, supervisors are coordinating to replace underperforming BLOs based on feedback from electoral registration officers.

The drive has faced several local challenges. In Khilwat, resident Mohd Ahmed reported that two of his seven family members did not receive forms, while four unfamiliar names were registered under his door number. He also alleged that political booth-level agents were overpowering BLOs in parts of the Old City.

Meanwhile, residents in other parts of the city reported confusion and unauthorized charges. In Quba Colony near Pahadishareef, residents were reportedly asked to pay Rs 150 to fill out forms online. Similar incidents of voters being charged between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 to have forms filled were reported in slums near Jubilee Hills and Filmnagar.