HYDERABAD: With just days left for the deadline to apply for enrolment in the Mahbubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad graduates’ constituency electoral roll, election officials have a mountain of applications to clear. More than four out of every five applications received are still pending, raising questions over whether the scrutiny can be completed within the stipulated schedule.
The numbers tell the story. Of the 4,67,538 applications received across nine districts, only 80,982 have been accepted and 1,907 rejected. As many as 3,84,649 applications, or 82.27%, are yet to be disposed of. Even more worrying, 56,158 applications have not moved beyond the initial processing stage.
The backlog is most pronounced in the three districts accounting for much of the constituency’s urban population. Medchal-Malkajgiri has 99,103 of its 1,09,161 applications pending, a pendency rate of 90.79%. Rangareddy, which received the highest number of applications at 1,20,197, has 99,832 awaiting disposal (83.06%).
In Hyderabad, 61,605 of the 71,586 applications remain pending, translating into 86.06%.
The initial processing figures are equally concerning. Hyderabad has 16,844 applications yet to be taken up, followed by Medchal-Malkajgiri with 15,432 and Rangareddy with 9,410. Mahbubnagar has another 6,466 awaiting initial processing.
The picture is relatively better in Nagarkurnool, which has the lowest pendency rate at 62.82%. Of its 35,614 applications, 12,831 have been accepted and 411 rejected. Narayanpet has a pendency rate of 66.51%, followed by Jogulamba Gadwal at 75.20%, Mahbubnagar at 78.81%, Vikarabad at 80.28% and Wanaparthy at 82.24%.
The exercise has been largely digital, with 4,66,750 applications submitted online and just 788 through offline mode. Yet, the volume of applications has not translated into a comparable pace of disposal. There is also a problem on the ground.
Hyderabad District Election Officer RV Karnan has appealed to gated communities, universities, educational institutions and residential welfare associations to allow Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and other authorised officials to enter their premises for field verification. He said officials were facing restrictions in some establishments, delaying the verification of Form-18 applications.
The schedule leaves little room for complacency. November 6 is the last date for receiving applications. The draft electoral roll will be published on November 25, followed by a window for claims and objections until December 10. Final rolls are scheduled for publication on December 30.
With 3.84 lakh applications still awaiting disposal, the coming weeks will test the election machinery’s ability to clear the backlog before the process reaches its next stage.