Hyderabad: Telangana’s election machinery on Monday reviewed voter-list anomalies and preparations for Gram and Ward Sabhas as the state moves into the next phase of its electoral-roll exercise.
Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharsan Reddy held a video conference with district-level election officials across Telangana to review arrangements for the conduct of Gram and Ward Sabhas at polling stations, according to a report published Monday.
Senior election officials, including Additional Chief Electoral Officer Vasam Venkateswar Reddy, Deputy CEO G S Chary and district election officers, took part in the meeting.
The exercise assumes significance following the publication of Telangana’s draft electoral rolls on August 17 under the Special Intensive Revision process.
The revision has already generated considerable attention because of the large number of names removed from the draft rolls. Earlier reporting said around 73.3 lakh electors, or roughly 21.7 per cent of the electorate, were excluded from the draft list after being classified under categories including absent, shifted, deceased or duplicate voters.
The current stage allows voters and other stakeholders to raise claims and objections against the draft rolls.
The election authorities’ review of Gram and Ward Sabha arrangements is therefore important for ensuring that voters have access to the process and that discrepancies can be brought to the notice of officials.
For ordinary voters, the revision is not merely an administrative exercise. Inclusion in the electoral roll determines a citizen’s ability to participate in elections, making accuracy of the database a basic requirement of the electoral process.
The CEO’s meeting also comes at a time when political parties are closely monitoring the revision exercise and preparing their booth-level organisations to assist voters.
The large-scale nature of the revision means that the claims-and-objections stage could become particularly important in determining how many names are ultimately restored to the final electoral roll.
The Election Commission’s exercise is expected to proceed through the prescribed verification and objection process before the final list is published.
For voters who find that their names are missing or details are incorrect, the immediate priority is to verify their status through the official electoral system and use the prescribed claims and objections mechanism within the notified period.
The Telangana exercise is part of a broader nationwide focus on maintaining accurate electoral rolls ahead of future elections.
