In a late‑October move, Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharsan Reddy told collectors, district election officers and electoral registration officers to clamp down on false Form 7 filings that have flooded Telangana’s Special Intensive Revision. The state has already received 28,753 Form 7s, roughly 5,000 of them from Hyderabad, according to Reddy’s directive.
Congress leader Syed Nizamuddin slammed the wave of bulk applications as a coordinated attack by the BJP, demanding a probe into how voter data was accessed and used. AIMIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi echoed the call, warning that unchecked false objections could spark street protests in Hyderabad.
Reddy’s order mandates a thorough inquiry before invoking Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, coupled with Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Booth‑level officers must visit voters, collect documents, upload evidence to the ECI system, and hold physical hearings only in exceptional cases, with an adult relative allowed to represent the elector.
The Commission has generated 92,88,180 of the 92,88,181 notices required for the revision, delivering 90,26,993 and leaving 2,61,191 pending. Amid a backlog of applications, helpdesks have been expanded and special camps set up for laborers, homeless persons and night‑shelter residents, according to the office.
Reddy reiterated that no voter will be deleted solely on an unverified Form 7 objection. The upcoming ECI review will determine whether further investigations into the bulk filings are warranted and whether new safeguards against data misuse will be rolled out.