Hyderabad : Allegations of a systematic attempt to purge Congress supporters from electoral rolls pushed the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise into a fresh controversy on Monday, with Telangana Congress seeking criminal action over bulk Form-7 applications even as the chief electoral officer directed scrutiny of knowingly false voter deletion claims.
Amid mounting political heat over the SIR of electoral rolls, Telangana Congress approached Hyderabad police, saying an organised operation is on to remove its leaders, booth-level agents (BLAs) and their family members from electoral rolls through bulk, pre-filled Form-7 applications. In a complaint submitted to Hyderabad police commissioner, Congress alleged that Sivegi Bala Chander alias Balu, identified as BJP’s BLA at polling booth 210 in Musheerabad, had submitted applications seeking deletion of Congress BLA Sharfuddin and nearly 30 of his family members from the electoral rolls. Congress leaders alleged that similar pre-filled forms surfaced in Bahadurpura on Oct 1. In Goshamahal, a BJP BLA allegedly brought around 15 pre-filled Form-7 applications to the booth-level officer of polling booth 173 on Oct 3. It sought action under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act.
The officer declined to accept them because they lacked applicants’ signatures and were submitted in bulk, according to the complaint. Rajesh Kumar sought a probe into allegations that the forms were generated through an organised chain beginning at BJP’s state office and routed through assembly constituency in-charges to local BLAs. He also sought an examination of the possible role of state BJP president N Ramchander Rao, while stating that any criminal action should be based on evidence establishing responsibility. Congress asked investigators to preserve and forensically examine the forms, signatures, printing details, electoral records, CCTV footage and digital communications, besides recording statements from all concerned.