Telangana: Cong leader's padayatra against alleged double votes of reps

Congress leader Chaluvagali Raghavendra Raju has undertaken a padayatra from Mahabubnagar to Hyderabad demanding the Election Commission take action against alleged double votes of public representatives and remove them from the electoral rolls.

Congress leader from Mahabubnagar district, Chaluvagali Raghavendra Raju, has undertaken a padayatra from Mahabubnagar to Hyderabad demanding action against alleged double votes of public representatives. Raju started his foot march from the Mahabubnagar District Collector's office to the Telangana State Election Commission (EC) office in Hyderabad, demanding that the EC remove the double votes of public representatives from Mahabubnagar district.

Speaking to ANI, Raju said he had lodged a complaint with the EC on May 26, 2026, but alleged that no action had been taken on it. He said he had decided to undertake the foot march to submit another representation and register his protest.

Protest Against EC Inaction

"On May 26, 2026, I lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India. It has been about 144 days since then, and because no action has been taken yet, I have decided to stage a protest march on foot from the Mahabubnagar District Collector's Office to Burgula Ramakrishna Rao Bhavan in Hyderabad, to the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Telangana state, to submit a representation," Raju said.

He alleged that despite filing several complaints to the EC of India and the Telangana State EC, no action has been taken and the problem remains unresolved. Raju alleged that a prominent individual from the Mahabubnagar constituency and his wife had "double vote" entries, prompting him to file a formal complaint.

Chain of Unanswered Reminders

He said the EC had sent two letters to the State Election Commissioner directing action on his complaint under reference number 1284 of 2026. He further claimed that the State EC had sent four reminders to the Telangana CEO under file number 555 of 2026, while the CEO had issued seven reminders to the Mahabubnagar District Collector, Khusboo Gupta, under file number 1093 of 2026. According to Raju, Gupta had also issued three reminders to Electoral Registration Officer and Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) E. Naveen Kumar, but the matter remained unresolved.

'White-Collar Criminal' to be Exposed

Alleging deliberate delay by the RDO, Raju said he would submit another representation in Hyderabad and disclose the identity of the person against whom he had filed the complaint. He further alleged that public representatives are using their political influence to retain their double votes.

Asked against whom the complaint was filed, Raju said, “It is against a very prominent individual. On the day I submit the representation in Hyderabad, I will reveal to the entire state of Telangana his name, what actions he committed, the irregularities involved, who this white-collar criminal is, his criminal background, and all the transactions he made. I will present all this evidence to the people of Telangana.”

He urged the Commission to conduct a thorough verification and delete duplicate entries to ensure a fair electoral roll.

Details of the Padayatra

On the duration of the march, Raju said, “It will take around 5 to 6 days. I have decided to cover approximately 20 to 22 kilometres per day on foot.”

On support, he said, “Many people are joining, like Laxmikant ji, Srinivas ji, and several others who have called saying they will meet me along the route. I am undertaking this padayatra strictly in accordance with Telangana police regulations and the law. Through ANI, I request that this matter reach people across India.”

"My demand is under the Representation of the People Act 31, for action against the culprits who are cheating people by making false declarations by using duplicate votes," he added. (ANI)

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