HYDERABAD: In a fresh attempt, BJP booth-level agents (BLAs) allegedly tried on Tuesday to force unsigned Form-7 applications through booth-level officers (BLOs) in Goshamahal, seeking deletion of over 300 voter names.
BLAs Sai Kiran and T. Janardhan reportedly pressed BLOs of booths 21 and 28 to accept the to accept the unsigned forms of voters numbered 180 and 122 respectively in the Goshamahal constituency. The officers, citing strict instructions from Chief Electoral Officer Sudharshan Reddy, referred the matter to electoral registration officer G. Umaprakash. He confirmed attempts were being made.
The BLOs were instructed under the threat of suspension to not accept unsigned forms. The issue was also referred to the vigilance department.
“BLA Sai Kiran is pressuring BLO to take Form 7. This is against the ECI guidelines. If any such information, please give the list to ERO, it will be verified at ground level by BLO. If the same thing continues by BLAs (pressuring BLOs), will book criminal cases by taking statements,” Umaprakash said in a statement.
The incident follows a similar case on October 3, when 15 pre-printed Form-7 applications targeting Muslim voters surfaced at booth 173. A BLO refused to accept them, and a Congress worker recorded the forms on video, drawing national attention as Goshamahal is represented by T. Raja Singh.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi urged the CEO to register cases under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act and Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules. He said genuine voters, including 85-year-old Mirza Farooq Beg and his family, were being targeted despite their names appearing consistently on rolls since 2002. Owaisi attributed the bulk submissions to a BJP sympathiser, questioning how such targeted filings could occur without deliberate planning by the Sangh Parivar.
Congress leaders have pointed out that BJP BLAs in Goshamahal are under pressure from party leadership, hence they are trying their best to push these forms through BLOs. “These printed forms are directly coming from Delhi and are not printed here. Each BLA is receiving a bundle of Form-7 to be submitted. The bundle, if you see, mentions the name of BLA, along with other details like booth name and number, besides details of Assembly No. Have you ever heard Telangana people describing the Legislative Assembly as Vidhan Sabha ? Hence these are directly coming from Delhi, with clear assistance of those in ECI,” said PCC Election Commission coordination committee chairman Pulipati Rajesh Kumar.
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