Telangana Voter Enumeration Crosses 1 Crore Mark as Distribution Reaches Charminar

The distribution of house-to-house voter enumeration forms (EF) by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) crossed the one crore mark across Telangana by June 27, though delays were reported in the Charminar constituency and other parts of Hyderabad. The state-wide drive, which reached 1,02,75,000 forms by 8 p.m. on its third day, has covered 30.8 per cent of the state's 3,38,26,448 total voters.

While districts like Nalgonda led the state with 74 per cent completion and Asifabad constituency recorded the highest progress at over 78 per cent, Hyderabad district lagged significantly behind. The 15 Assembly constituencies in Hyderabad accounted for only about 3 lakh distributed forms.

According to poll officials, the slow progress in Hyderabad was due to a last-minute decision to use English forms, which delayed permission from the Election Commission of India (ECI). Some constituencies in the city did not receive the forms until Friday evening, while others began distribution on Saturday.

In the Old City, the distribution was further delayed due to the observance of Youm-e-Ashura. To make up for lost time, BLOs in areas like Charminar began distributing forms at night.

Local resident Farhana Begum recounted having to rush to her former residence in Charminar late at night to collect her form. Since she had not updated her address to Tolichowki, she and her brother collected the document late, returning home at 1:30 a.m.

Meanwhile, BLOs, including Anganwadi and ASHA workers, have raised concerns over intense workload pressure. The workers were tasked with completing the distribution by July 1, which overlapped with the three-day National Pulse Polio Immunisation Drive starting June 28.

P. Jayalakshmi, State Secretary of the AIFAWH, stated that workers were instructed by Collectors and MROs to prioritise election duties or face termination.

In response to the mounting pressure on ground staff, the Congress party has urged Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudershan Reddy to extend the deadlines. P. Rajesh Kumar, chairman of the TPCC Election Commission coordination committee, requested an extension for both the distribution and collection of forms, proposing to permanently increase the total period from 30 to 60 days to ensure thorough coverage.