Telangana BJP has urged the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to inform the public about a reported clarification by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar that possession of a voter ID card is not mandatory for availing government welfare schemes.The demand comes amid allegations that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and other State government functionaries have been warning rural residents that they must enrol as voters or risk losing access to welfare benefits, BJP State president N. Ramchander Rao and senior party leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy said on Monday.Speaking to the media after submitting a memorandum to the CEO, the BJP leaders alleged that voters in several areas, particularly in the Malkajgiri, Chevella, Hyderabad and Secunderabad constituencies, were being ‘intimidated’ by Congress and AIMIM leaders during the voter enrolment process, especially if they were migrants from other States.According to the BJP, certain individuals were ‘forcibly collecting, withholding or taking away’ enumeration forms from prospective voters on the grounds that they were not eligible for enrolment. The party alleged that such actions amounted to interference in the electoral process and had created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.“Every citizen who ordinarily resides in a particular constituency and satisfies the requirements prescribed under law is entitled to be enrolled in the electoral rolls, irrespective of their place of origin or native State,” Mr. Shashidhar Reddy said.Mr. Ramchander Rao also accused the ruling party of pressuring some booth-level officers to discourage the enrolment of targeted migrants and voters perceived to be ‘supportive of the BJP’ and residing in Hyderabad, ‘with the objective of reducing their numbers on the electoral rolls’. He further stated that voters are being falsely infomred that they are not entitled to become voters in TG compelling them to return to their respective native States.The party reiterated its demand for the appointment of independent observers from other States to oversee the enumeration process and urged the election authorities concerned to take stringent action against persons indulging in such illegal activities. Central forces should be deployed in ‘sensitive’ areas to ‘safeguard’ voters from undue influence, it added. Published - July 20, 2026 06:45 pm IST