Telangana graduate voter registration has come under pressure ahead of the November 6 deadline, with the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) urging the Election Commission of India to extend the enrolment period to December 6 and clear a reported backlog of nearly five lakh applications.
A BRS delegation led by party deputy floor leader Talasani Srinivas Yadav submitted a representation to Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Sudarshan Reddy on October 26. The representation sought urgent measures to ensure eligible graduates are included in the electoral rolls for the Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad and Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Graduate MLC constituencies.
According to figures cited by the BRS, around 5.23 lakh Form 18 applications had been received by October 24, but only 26,085 had been approved. As many as 4.96 lakh applications were reported to be pending verification. The party also said the approved applications represented 2.52 per cent of the 10.36 lakh graduates listed on the 2021 electoral rolls.
The party attributed the backlog to inadequate outreach, limited involvement of Booth Level Officers and difficulties faced by applicants in getting educational certificates attested. It sought the deployment of BLOs with defined targets, special enrolment camps, help desks and a statewide awareness campaign before the deadline.
The representation also asked the Election Commission to direct Gazetted Officers to attest degree and diploma certificates without charging applicants. It sought acceptance of digitally verified certificates through DigiLocker and the National Academic Depository, along with an exemption for graduates enrolled in 2021 from submitting their educational certificates again.
The BRS further requested a fixed timeline for processing pending applications and an opportunity for applicants to correct minor documentation errors before rejection. It also called for weekly publication of constituency-wise application and verification data so that applicants and political parties can track the process.
The party raised concerns about potential rejection of genuine applicants because of discrepancies between draft and final electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision. In remarks to mediapersons, Srinivas Yadav said the Election Commission and the State government had not made adequate arrangements despite the approaching deadline, and alleged that no effective field-level awareness campaign was underway.
The Graduate MLC constituencies cover a large and administratively complex voter base in Telangana, where eligibility depends on graduate status and the submission and verification of supporting documents. The application process therefore depends not only on the deadline but also on the capacity of election officials to verify documents and communicate deficiencies to applicants.
The BRS has asked the Chief Electoral Officer to forward its demands to the Chief Election Commissioner. The current registration deadline remains November 6, while the requested extension would continue enrolment until December 6.
