YSRCP seeks relief for students, overseas voters in electoral roll revision

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

YSRCP General Secretary and MLC Lella Appi Reddy has urged the Election Commission to ensure greater transparency and uniformity in the ongoing revision of electoral rolls, particularly in the verification of eligible voters residing outside Andhra Pradesh or abroad.

In a representation to the Chief Electoral Officer of Andhra Pradesh, with copies sent to the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr. Appi said students pursuing education in other States or overseas and people temporarily residing abroad for employment should not lose their legitimate voting rights merely because they were unable to appear personally for verification.

He sought permission for parents or close blood relatives to submit original supporting documents on behalf of such voters, subject to production of proof of relationship and prescribed authorisation. He also suggested that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) be permitted to verify family details, residence and other supporting records to establish the voter’s eligibility.

Referring to reports that video-call verification was being informally accepted in some areas, Mr. Appi urged the Election Commission to prescribe a uniform procedure for such verification, wherever legally permissible. He said the process should include adequate safeguards for identity authentication and proper record-keeping to prevent misuse.

He requested that clear guidelines be issued to all Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) and BLOs across the State so that voters are not subjected to different verification procedures in different areas.

In a separate representation, Mr. Appi sought booth-wise publication of the Discrepancy/Unmapped List and details of voters who had been served notices. He also requested that such lists be provided to recognised political parties, enabling Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to assist affected voters in completing the verification process.

He further called for the deletion of verified duplicate entries while retaining the genuine voter entry. At the same time, he stressed that no eligible voter should be excluded from the electoral roll without proper notice, verification and a reasonable opportunity to establish his or her eligibility.

The YSRCP leader said the electoral roll revision process should be conducted in a manner that protects the voting rights of eligible citizens while ensuring transparency, consistency and due process at every stage.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.