Hyderabad Voters Face Snags as BLOs Fail to Collect Enumeration Forms Before Deadline

Residents across Greater Hyderabad, including localities such as Attapur, struggled to submit their voter enumeration forms ahead of Monday's deadline due to booth-level officers failing to distribute or collect the documents.

Many voters were left in a bind as they attempted to complete the exercise before the submission cutoff. While some residents successfully submitted their enumeration forms through online portals, many others were unable to complete the digital process due to mismatches between the details listed on their Voter ID (EPIC) cards and their Aadhaar cards.

The process was further impacted by three consecutive public holidays leading up to the deadline. During this period, booth-level officers (BLOs) were largely unavailable to assist voters or collect physical forms.

Voters shared their frustration over unreachable officials. A resident of Attapur reported making repeated phone calls to their assigned BLO, only to learn on Sunday that the officer had travelled to her village for the Bonalu festival. The officer stated that no forms could be issued or collected because they remained locked inside her residence.

Another affected voter, Sathya V, explained that obtaining a form required making multiple calls to the BLO. When trying to hand over the completed form, the officer declined to visit, stating they were posted at a different location on the final day of submission.

According to figures released by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Telangana, digitisation rates for the enumeration forms vary across the region. In Hyderabad district, 58.5 per cent of forms have been digitised, while Ranga Reddy district recorded 64.9 per cent digitisation and Medchal-Malkajgiri district stood at 63.8 per cent.