Election Commission flags 88 lakh anomalous voter records in Telangana

The Election Commission of India has identified anomalies in more than 88 lakh voter records across Telangana, with the Quthbullapur constituency recording discrepancies in nearly 78 percent of its entries. The findings, revealed during a preliminary digital verification exercise ahead of the Special Intensive Revision scheduled from June 25 to October 1, have sparked widespread concern among citizens regarding potential mass deletions from the electoral rolls.

According to the Chief Electoral Officer, a pre-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) mapping and data-verification exercise detected anomalies in exactly 88,13,207 voter records. This digital analysis mapped more than 2.32 crore voter records out of Telangana’s total electorate of approximately 3.39 crore, meaning nearly 37 percent of the mapped records contained some form of irregularity.

While Quthbullapur saw the highest concentration of irregularities, significant discrepancies were also detected in the Mahabubabad and Nizamabad districts. The flagged issues include duplicate registrations across different states, multiple voter IDs linked to a single individual, unrealistic age differences among family members, incorrect family relationships, outdated residential addresses, and incomplete documentation.

Election officials clarified that these flagged records are computer-generated indicators and should not be treated as fake votes or immediate deletions. They emphasized that the list represents entries requiring further verification rather than conclusive evidence of electoral fraud.

The next phase of the process will involve field verification by Booth Level Officers. These officers will conduct door-to-door surveys, collect enumeration forms, verify voter identities and addresses, and issue notices where duplicate registrations are suspected.

Officials will also verify records of deceased persons and permanently relocated voters. The Election Commission has urged citizens to verify their voter details and submit corrections through Form 8 where necessary before the final electoral roll is published.