HYDERABAD, MAY 17 :  Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Senior Vice- President G Niranjan has urged Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar to conduct an inquiry and analysis to determine the reasons for the lower voter turnout in the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Telangana compared to the 2023 assembly election.

In a letter addressed to the CEC, a copy of which was released to the media on Friday, Niranjan pointed out that the assembly elections in Telangana were held on November 30, 2023, with a total of 2,32,59,256 votes cast out of 3,26,02,793 registered voters. In contrast, the Lok Sabha elections on May 13, 2024, saw only 2,20,24,806 votes cast out of 3,32,16,348 registered voters.

The figures indicate that the voter turnout in the Lok Sabha elections was lower, with 12,34,450 fewer votes cast compared to the assembly elections.

Niranjan highlighted that approximately 12 lakh voters were enrolled after the 2023 assembly elections and about 8 lakh voters were deleted, resulting in a net increase of about 4 lakh voters. Despite this increase, there was a significant reduction of approximately 16,50,000 votes in the Lok Sabha elections.

Niranjan requested the Election Commission to conduct a detailed analysis to determine if the lower turnout was due to issues such as the inclusion of deceased voters, duplicate voters, or voters registered in multiple locations. He noted that during the 2023 assembly elections, many voters who were registered in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh cast their votes in Telangana, as there were no elections in Andhra Pradesh at that time.

However, before the Lok Sabha polls, around 15 lakh people reportedly left Telangana to vote in Andhra Pradesh, a fact highlighted by various newspapers and TV channels. According to Election Commission rules, a voter is only allowed to vote in one location; otherwise, they are liable for criminal prosecution. Niranjan emphasized that such discrepancies significantly affect voter turnout percentages.

He also pointed out that in the coming months, there will be Gram Panchayat, ZPTC/MPTC, and other local body elections in Telangana, for which the current voters’ list will be used. The State Election Commission adopts the voters’ list provided by the Election Commission for these elections.

Therefore, Niranjan requested the Election Commission to delete the names of voters who voted in Andhra Pradesh from the Telangana voters’ list to ensure no one is allowed to vote in both states.(UNI)