The Telangana Rashtra Samiti Government was left red-faced with the Election Commission of India sending out a team to the State to look into the Opposition parties’ complaints of large-scale deletion of names from the voters list in Hyderabad ahead of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Elections.
The Election Commission sent the team headed by the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Gupta after the Opposition alleged that the Commissioner of GHMC Somesh Kumar and Telangana Chief Electoral Officer Bhanwar lal were acting as the agent of the ruling TRS and working to benefit the party by deleting the names of the voters.
Congress in its complaint supported by hundreds of other representations alleged that as many as 700,000 names were deleted from the GHMC voters list. Telugu Desam Party also made a similar representation.
Significantly the large number of deletions 121,000 was in Kukatpally circle dominated by the Andhra people followed by , in Khairtabad circle and 44,000 in Abids Circle.
The CEC team, which also includes the additional CEO of Uttar Pradesh Ramakant Pandey has received the representation from various political parties including the BJP, MIM, CPI and CPI(M) in Hyderabad about the large-scale deletions and further action was expected after the team submits its report to the commission in New Delhi.
However, the stern message sent by the Election Commission has already forced the State Government to remove Somesh Kumar from the post of GHMC Commissioner. His role in attempts to change the boundaries of the GHMC wards in a manner beneficial to the TRS had come under the lense.
Political parties are demanding dismissal or suspension of Somesh Kumar from the services. “His transfer is not enough”, said the TDP MlA from Jubilee Hills M Gopinath. He demanded that the GHMC polls should be held on the basis of 2014 voters list. He warned that he will take the issue to the High Court.