Telangana: Owaisi alleges bid to delete 122 Muslim voters in Goshamahal; demands ECI action over fraudulent 'Form 7' filings

Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has alleged a "deliberate conspiracy" to disenfranchise Muslim voters in the Goshamahal Assembly segment of the Hyderabad parliamentary constituency through fraudulent, bulk submissions of Form 7.

Speaking to ANI, the Hyderabad parliamentarian cited a recent communication issued by the state election authority that flagged attempts to delete legitimate voters using fraudulent paperwork.

"The Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana issued a memo on October 5, drawing the attention of the GHMC Commissioner and all District Collectors and Election Officers to instances of bulk applications being filed in Form 7 before EROs. The memo noted that these applications are not genuine and directed officials to initiate action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act against those submitting false statements, along with conducting an inquiry under Rule 20 of the Registration of Electors Rules," Owaisi said.


Read more: BJP activists attempting to remove names of Muslim voters through Form 7: Asaddudin Owaisi

The AIMIM chief presented documents to allege that a targeted operation was underway at Booth Number 28 in Goshamahal to strike off eligible electors belonging to the minority community.

"We are placing a specific example before the Election Commission from Booth Number 28 in the Goshamahal assembly segment. As part of a deliberate plan, pre-printed Form 7 applications were submitted to delete the names of 122 electors. The applicant's name is listed as Tudu Murty Janardhan, whose phone number is on the forms and who is a BJP supporter. The disturbing fact is that all 122 names targeted for deletion belong to the Muslim community, even though they have featured on electoral rolls since 2002 and were present in the latest draft lists," the AIMIM chief said.

Calling the deletions completely baseless, Owaisi cited the example of an elderly local resident whose name was among those submitted for removal.

Read more: UP elections: AIMIM open to alliance with parties looking to prevent BJP, says Owaisi

"Among those targeted in Form 7 is Mirza Farooq Baig, an 85-year-old respectable citizen who was born right here and lives with a family of 15 members. The entire neighbourhood knows him. His name has consistently appeared on voter rolls for decades, including in 2002 and the latest draft roll. Yet, a fraudulent Form 7 was submitted to cancel his voting rights," he said.

Owaisi urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take immediate penal action against the individuals behind the fraudulent claims and praised the local booth officials for intercepting the forms.

"We demand that the Election Commission act on the Telangana CEO's directive and take immediate legal action under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, against those submitting false declarations, and order an inquiry under Rule 20. I am thankful to the alert Booth Level Officer (BLO) at booth 28 for refusing to accept these fraudulent forms, and to our party's Booth Level Agent (BLA) who promptly secured these documents," Owaisi added.