Owaisi slams EC's voter revision in Telangana, calls it exclusionary

AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi challenges the EC's voter revision in Telangana, calling it exclusionary. He states that four of 12 required documents are unavailable in the state and criticizes the EC for penalizing voters for old list errors.

AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi challenged the Election Commission's (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise currently underway in Telangana, labelling the existing requirements for verifying voter credentials as overly burdensome and exclusionary. Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the Hyderabad MP highlighted significant hurdles facing citizens whose names are missing from the 2002 electoral rolls.

Burdensome Document Requirements Criticized

According to Owaisi, the EC's requirement to submit one of 12 designated documents is unrealistic, as he contends four of those documents are either non-existent or irrelevant to the state's administrative framework. He noted that the list includes documents like the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which was not conducted in Telangana and permanent residency certificates or family register systems, which are not issued in the state.

"We requested the Election Commission (EC) to reduce the requirement of submitting 12 documents for those voters whose names do not appear in the 2002 electoral rolls and their father, mother, grandfather, or grandmother. Out of the 12 accepted documents, one is the NRC, which was not conducted in Telangana, so that option is unavailable. Another is a permanent residency certificate, which is not issued in Telangana, so that option is also unavailable. The family register system does not exist in Telangana either. Aadhaar alone is not accepted as a valid document," he said.

The remarks come as the SIR exercise in Telangana begins today, as Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conduct door-to-door visits to distribute Enumeration Forms. With the publication of draft rolls scheduled for July 31, the claims and objections period will go on from July 31 to August 30, and the final electoral rolls will be published on October 1.

Despite the widespread use of [Aadhaar] for identification, Owaisi argued that the EC refuses to accept it as a standalone, valid document. He proposed that the commission should instead accept PAN cards, citing their reliability alongside other state-issued documents like driving licences and food security cards. "Out of the 12 documents, four are effectively unavailable, leaving only eight. We requested the EC to accept PAN cards because a person can vote based on documents such as a driving licence issued by the state government or a food security card issued by the state government. However, the EC did not accept this suggestion." Owaisi added.

Anomalies in 2002 Voter List

Owaisi flagged "several anomalies" in the 2002 voter list, which was prepared manually by the EC. He also questioned the EC's criteria on family relationships. Owaisi criticised the EC for penalising current voters for inaccuracies present in the manually prepared 2002 voter list, such as spelling errors or arbitrary criteria regarding age differences between generations in a family. "If there are spelling mistakes in that list, how can voters be penalised today for errors made by the EC? What law says that if there are six children in a family, their names cannot be included? A 15-year age difference between parents and children, and a 40-year difference between grandparents and grandchildren not allowed. How can these be treated as anomalies?" he said.

Call for Transparency and Data Sharing

The AIMIM chief reiterated his call for the EC to share pre-SIR mapping data with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to ensure the revision process is inclusive and transparent, a request he claims has been repeatedly ignored. "The Election Commission carried out pre-SIR mapping. Earlier, we were told that pre-printed forms would be provided, but that has not happened. Now, BLOs (Booth Level Officers) will deliver forms to households of people whose names are already on the 2026 voter list. Voters will have to fill in all their 2002 details. We suggested that since the EC has already completed pre-SIR mapping, the data should be shared with BLAs (Booth Level Agents). This suggestion was not accepted," he said.

Language Barrier in Enumeration Forms

With Urdu recognised as the second official language in Hyderabad, Owaisi expressed frustration that enumeration forms are being distributed solely in English and Telugu, posing a barrier for Urdu-speaking residents. "The EC said enumeration forms would be available in both English and Telugu. However, in the entire Hyderabad district, forms are being distributed only in English. Many people do not know English, so how will they fill out these forms?" he said.

Logistical Hurdles and Fears of Exclusion

Citing the monsoon season and limited time, Owaisi said these factors were causing concern. "Our party has developed an app that contains both the 2002 voter list and the latest voter list. Through this app, we are trying to help people at our own level. However, a BLO can visit only a limited number of people, distribute forms, collect photographs, and return the forms to voters. After that, a draft list will be published, and we do not know how many people may receive notices," he said

"That is why we have been requesting the Election Commission to share the pre-SIR mapping data with us, so that this entire exercise can be conducted inclusively," Owaisi added. With the final rolls scheduled for October 1, Owaisi warned that the current logistical hurdles and the reliance on outdated data could result in many citizens being unfairly excluded, further fueling his party's stance that the current revision process risks functioning as a "backdoor NRC." (ANI)

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