Graduate voter registration: Congress seeks deadline extension
In Short
Seeks four-week extension beyond November 6
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Congress
Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee Election Commission Coordination Committee Chairman Pulipati Rajesh Kumar and Special Intensive Revision State Coordinator Gampa Venugopal urged Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharshan Reddy to extend the deadline for graduate voter enrolment by at least four weeks.
They also urged the authorities to simplify documentation requirements for eligible voters ahead of the upcoming Graduate Legislative Council elections. In a formal representation submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer, the representatives expressed deep concern over the impending November 6 deadline for registration across the Mahabubnagar–Rangareddy–Hyderabad and Warangal–Khammam–Nalgonda Graduate MLC constituencies. They voiced serious apprehension that a substantial number of eligible graduates might be excluded from the electoral rolls due to inadequate public awareness, document procurement difficulties, and procedural hurdles during official verification.
The panel requested the Election Commission to extend the registration window by four weeks while conducting extensive voter awareness drives across educational institutions, IT parks, and rural areas to maximize graduate participation. Highlighting major administrative bottlenecks, Pulipati Rajesh Kumar and Gampa Venugopal pointed out that mandatory Gazetted Officer attestation on degree certificates issued by recognized Telangana universities causes severe inconvenience to applicants. Approaching officers for attestation leads to unnecessary delays, creating additional hurdles to registration. They requested the Chief Electoral Officer to allow election officials to verify degree certificates submitted alongside Form-18 through online university portals. They also suggested accepting self-attested copies or alternative verification methods permitted under statutory rules, without compromising accuracy or electoral integrity.
Expressing concern over significantly lower graduate enrolment compared to previous election cycles, the delegation urged prompt administrative intervention to eliminate procedural hurdles and improve voter turnout. The representation also referenced a news report published in Deccan Chronicle on Wednesday, which stated that approximately five lakh voters had been removed from electoral rolls via Form 7 applications prior to the Special Intensive Revision.
The representatives sought immediate clarification on whether these Form 7 applications were generated through artificial intelligence tools or submitted physically by individuals.
They requested full access to Form 7 application details and called for a comprehensive review of all reported deletions to guarantee transparency, accuracy, and fairness in preparing final electoral rolls. Urging swift action from electoral authorities, the panel emphasized that no eligible graduate should be deprived of their constitutional right to vote due to avoidable procedural obstacles.
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