SEC overhauls voter list ahead of local body elections in Telangana

In response to significant administrative changes and software inconsistencies, the State Election Commission (SEC) of Telangana has initiated a complete overhaul of the voter list using the Te-Poll app. The update follows the merger of villages into municipalities and the creation of new mandals.

Hyderabad: The State Election Commission (SEC) has removed the existing voter list from the Te-Poll App and initiated the process of preparing a fresh list for the upcoming local body elections in Telangana. This decision comes in the wake of major administrative changes, including the merger of villages into municipalities and creation of new mandals and local bodies.

The process, which is expected to take 15–20 days, involves a complete revamp of the ward-wise voter list, with the village as the basic unit. District Panchayat Officers (DPOs) also instructed Panchayat Secretaries to delete names of the deceased and include those who have newly turned 18. The updated list will be uploaded through Panchayat Secretary logins, replacing the one integrated earlier this year through the MPDO login.

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The last revised voters’ list, which was published in January this year, had a total of 3.35 crore voters including 1.66 crore men, 1.68 crore women and 2,829 third gender voters. However, subsequent structural changes, such as the merger of 71 Gram Panchayats into GHMC and other urban bodies, necessitated a fresh enumeration.

Technical inconsistencies in the Te-Poll software, where details of some voters failed to reflect properly, have also prompted the SEC to start afresh. Officials are now ensuring that all votes from a single family fall within the same ward to avoid past discrepancies.

The overhaul also includes reworking the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTCs) and Zilla Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs). With the number of mandals reduced from 565 to 564, redistribution of MPTC seats is on the cards.

The process entails four key stages including draft list publication, submission of objections, resolution and final publication, along with finalising the list of polling stations. Only after these steps are completed will the Commission be in a position to announce the election schedule.

Meanwhile, the uncertainty over Backward Class (BC) reservations continues to loom large, further complicating the timeline. With the High Court mandating completion of the election process by September 30, officials face an uphill task.

“All efforts are being made to ensure accuracy and transparency,” a SEC official said.