Even a 12-year-old has a voter ID in Hyderabad

By M H Ahssan

A 12-year-old has an electoral photo identity card (EPIC), a Marredpally resident has two voter IDs and a couple who have been voting for decades are at a loss to find only the husband’s name in the voters’ list. These anomalies have come to light during verification of the voters’ list by some non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

During the verification of electoral rolls in the old city, Election Watch, an NGO, found a minor having an EPIC card. “At Haribowli near Shahalibanda, 12-year-old Kaustubh Nanajkar was given a voter identity c a rd (DMR4379061). The EPIC shows him to be 19 years of age and a resident of 973, Shahalibanda. We have also brought it to the notice of the chief electoral officer (CEO),” said Election Watch state convenor M Veda Kumar. S Srinivasa Reddy, project director of Association for Promoting Social Action (APSA), said in the Secunderabad cantonment constituency it was found that a person, O Lingaiah, 65, with an EPIC (GBZ7991326), was issued another voter card with his photo.

However, the EPIC (GBZ7995152) had a different name, Kanakaiah, 29, with his neighbour’s address. Similarly, A Krishna, a resident of C-3-35-231, East Marredpally, was issued multiple cards with different names. Likewise, during verification of voter’s list, United Federation of Resident Welfare Associations (UFerwas) found members of same families were in two different polling stations. Also, the volunteers found that people who had died several years ago were still eligible to vote.

At Valmiki Nagar in East Marredpally, the volunteers found one M Ravinder ( ID: GBZ1534056) died two years ago, but his name was still there in the voter’s list. “Names of four persons who died two years ago are still in the voter’s list, but the name of my mother, who has been a voter for over 30 years, is missing. We have registered her name again a year ago, but she is yet to get EPIC,” P Srihari of Valmiki Nagar said. When contacted, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) additional commissioner (Elections) Neetu Prasad told TOI that till now they had not received any complaints of multiple cards in the name of one person.

“If any such irregularities are brought to our notice, we will look into it,” she added. “Till now, we did not get any complaint about multiple cards issued to the same person. If such cases are reported it should be surrendered,” said assistant returning officer, Secunderabad Contonment Board O Gajjaram.