Congress Demands Election Commission Inquiry Into Voter Form Handling in Hyderabad

Hyderabad's District Congress Committee has escalated concerns about irregularities in the voter registration process, requesting that the Election Commission of India and Telangana's Chief Electoral Officer launch a formal inquiry into complaints spanning multiple assembly constituencies.

Party President Syed Khalid Saifullah raised the alarm on Monday, citing what he described as unauthorised handling of voter enrolment and Special Intensive Revision (SIR) forms by political operatives. He emphasised that such sensitive electoral documents should remain exclusively in the hands of duly appointed election officials.

The complaints centre on the Charminar Assembly constituency, where Congress representatives alleged that a local MIM leader possessed enrolment forms after a Booth Level Officer indicated as much. When Congress workers visited the leader's residence to investigate, they claimed he behaved disrespectfully towards them, prompting them to file a police complaint. Similar concerns emerged from Booth Nos. 31 and 32 in the same constituency, where Saifullah alleged that mandatory door-to-door verification procedures were bypassed and political workers participated in the process.

Additional irregularities surfaced at Booth No. 219, where Congress representatives stated they were unable to reach the assigned Booth Level Agent by telephone. Instead, a person identified as Asghar, reportedly connected to the MIM, reportedly fielded calls and directed Congress workers to his office at Pakeezah Hotel.

The Congress leader also flagged concerns from Chandrayangutta and Bahadurpura constituencies, citing issues across ten different booth numbers. He alleged that some Booth Level Officers refused to conduct house-to-house verification, with MIM representatives instead answering official mobile lines.

Saifullah stressed that Election Commission guidelines mandate personal verification by Booth Level Officers and require all voter records to remain under official supervision. He contended that political organisations and unauthorised individuals should have no role in collecting, distributing or storing SIR forms.

The Congress leader called on electoral authorities to thoroughly investigate each allegation, recover any election materials held outside proper custody, and determine how voter forms reached political operatives. He demanded action against any Booth Level Officer, Booth Level Agent or political figure found to have interfered with the SIR process or handled voter information without authorisation.

Saifullah concluded by asserting that public trust in elections depends on impartial administration of the process. He indicated that the Congress Committee would continue monitoring the exercise and file additional complaints if further violations come to light.