BRS seeks extension of graduate voter registration deadline to December 6

The BRS has urged the Election Commission of India to extend graduate voter registration until December 6, citing a verification backlog and limited outreach. It has also sought certificate-attestation support, digital document acceptance, faster processing and safeguards against wrongful rejection

Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend the current deadline of November 6 for graduate voter registration by at least a month, citing a massive verification backlog, inadequate outreach and difficulties in getting educational certificates attested.

A BRS delegation led by the party deputy floor leader Talasani Srinivas Yadav submitted a representation to Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Sudarshan Reddy on Monday, seeking urgent measures to ensure that eligible graduates are not deprived of their voting rights in the Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad and Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda Graduate MLC constituencies.

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In its representation, addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner through the CEO, the BRS sought an extension until December 6, deployment of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) with clear targets, and a Statewide awareness campaign. The party stated that around 5.23 lakh Form 18 applications had been received by October 24, but only 26,085 had been approved, while 4.96 lakh applications were pending verification. The approved applications accounted for just 2.52 per cent of the 10.36 lakh graduates on the 2021 electoral rolls.

ఓటర్ల నమోదు బాధ్యత ముమ్మాటికీ ఎన్నికల సంఘానిదే.

కేంద్ర, రాష్ట్ర ప్రభుత్వ ఉద్యోగుల సహకారంతో నమోదు కార్యక్రమం చేపట్టే అవకాశం ఉన్నప్పటికీ.. ఎన్నికల కమిషన్ బాధ్యతాయుతంగా వ్యవహరించడం లేదు.

నవంబర్ 6తో గడువు ముగియనున్నా.. ఇప్పటివరకు కనీసం బీఎల్‌వోలను నియమించలేదు, క్షేత్రస్థాయిలో ఎలాంటి ప్రచారమూ నిర్వహించలేదు.

ఎస్ఐఆర్ ప్రక్రియ ద్వారా లక్షలాది ఓట్లను తొలగించిన ఎన్నికల సంఘం, ఇప్పుడు తమకేమీ పట్టనట్లు వ్యవహరిస్తోంది.

ఇప్పటికైనా ఇంటింటికీ వెళ్లి ప్రతి గ్రాడ్యుయేట్‌ను ఓటరుగా నమోదు చేసేలా ఎన్నికల కమిషన్ తక్షణ చర్యలు తీసుకోవాలి.

– మాజీ మంత్రి, ఎమ్మెల్యే @YadavTalasani

— BRS Party (@BRSparty) October 26, 2026

Speaking to mediapersons, Srinivas Yadav said the ECI and also the State government failed to make adequate arrangements despite the November 6 deadline, with BLOs not actively involved in the enrolment drive and no effective awareness campaign in place. He said the Commission could have mobilised State and Central government employees to facilitate registration.

The BRS sought directions to all Gazetted Officers to attest degree and diploma certificates free of cost, special enrolment camps and help desks, and acceptance of digitally verified certificates through DigiLocker and the National Academic Depository. The party also urged the Commission to exempt graduates enrolled in 2021 from submitting educational certificates afresh, clear pending applications within a fixed timeframe and give applicants an opportunity to rectify minor documentation defects before rejecting their applications.

The party also demanded for weekly publication of constituency-wise application and verification data, along with safeguards against rejection of genuine applicants due to discrepancies between the draft and final electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision.