The Telangana Congress has alleged that an attempt was made to seek deletion of the names of party worker Shafuddin and around 30 members of his family from the electoral roll in Hyderabad’s Musheerabad constituency. The party has filed a complaint with Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharshan Reddy, alleging that pre-printed Form-7 applications were used to initiate the proposed deletions. The allegations relate to polling booth No. 210 and have prompted the Congress to seek an inquiry into how the applications were prepared and submitted.

The complaint, dated October 1, was filed by Pulipati Rajesh Kumar, chairman of the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee’s Election Commission Coordination Committee, along with Mohd Wajid Hussain. It names S Balachander, also known as Balu, whom the Congress describes as a BJP booth-level agent for polling booth No. 210. According to the complaint, Shafuddin, who is also a Congress booth-level agent, and around 30 members of his family were among those whose names were targeted for deletion.

Congress has alleged that the Form-7 applications were prepared and printed in advance instead of being independently completed by the individuals shown as applicants. The party has asked the Election Commission to preserve the original applications and examine the signatures, handwriting, dates, mobile phone numbers, Electoral Photo Identity Card details and supporting documents attached to the forms. It has also sought statements from the people named as applicants to establish whether they actually prepared, signed and submitted the applications.

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The complaint further requests officials to examine whether the forms share common formatting, handwriting or other characteristics that could indicate that they originated from a common source. The Congress has also sought an inquiry into whether similar applications were submitted against other party leaders, their family members or other electors. It specifically asked election officials to verify Balachander’s alleged role and determine whether he personally submitted the applications or facilitated their submission.

The Congress complaint referred to Election Commission guidelines governing Form-7, which is used to object to the proposed inclusion of an elector or seek deletion of an existing entry. The Election Commission’s guidelines state that the applicant must provide the prescribed reason for seeking deletion and that the burden of proving the stated reason rests with the applicant. The Form-7 declaration also states that knowingly making a false statement is punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

The party has sought a detailed investigation and legal action if any wrongdoing is established. The allegations come amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Telangana and wider scrutiny over the use of Form-7 applications. Telangana CEO C Sudharshan Reddy has said that the filing of multiple Form-7 applications does not by itself result in deletion, as such requests are subject to scrutiny and verification before changes are made to electoral rolls.

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