HYDERABAD: Baffled by the unusually high number of applications for addition and migration of franchise rights ahead of the Munugode byelection, election officials have started scrutinising them and are even reaching the doorsteps of the applicants to verify their authenticity.
With time running out, even State Joint Chief Electoral Officer (Joint CEO) T Ravi Kiran physically verified a few of the applications in the poll-bound constituency. The Election Commission of India (ECI) will release the final electoral rolls, including the verified applications, on the midnight of October 13.
According to sources, the ECI has received around 24,800 applications for Form 6 (new voter) alone.The number would swell to over 30,000 if applications filed by migrant voters (voters who have recently moved to and settled in the constituency) are accepted.Currently, the Munugode Assembly segment has over 2.27 lakh registered voters.
Speaking to Express, Nalgonda district Collector T Vinay Krishna Reddy said that after the Munugode Assembly seat fell vacant, they started receiving applications from new and migrant voters. “We are carefully examining the applications by going to the doorstep of the applicants. Since the process is also available online, we have received many applications. We cannot give the exact numbers as it is dynamic in nature,” he said.
Meanwhile, political parties and officials are suspecting that migrant workers from other States who were working in the industries located in and around Choutuppal, close aides of mainstream political parties, and those who were settled outside but are native to Munugode, have applied in large numbers.
“Maybe it is due to the hype that was created that voters will be paid thousands of rupees. Also, the BJP and TRS have managed to get more ‘sleeping voters’ enrol,” said Palle Vinay Kumar, who is contesting on behalf of Telangana Jana Samithi.
On Tuesday, BJP general secretary Gujjula Premender Reddy had urged the Telangana High Court to direct the ECI not to include these new voters, if approved, in the final electoral rolls for the Munugode byelection.