Hyderabad: The Congress party has raised concerns about the misuse of voter Identity Cards in government schemes, alleging an attempt to influence voters.
A memorandum was submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Vikas Raj by G Niranjan, Chairman of the Congress’ Election Coordination Committee, and Rajesh Kumar, Convenor, along with clippings from newspaper reports.
The Congress party contends that government officials are inappropriately requesting voter ID cards for approval of government schemes when it is not a requirement.
They assert that this demand for voter ID cards from beneficiaries of Guruha Laxmi and Dalit Bandhu schemes is a tactic to exert pressure on the ruling party to garner support in the upcoming assembly elections.
According to the party, government guidelines stipulate the submission of ration cards for government schemes, with no provision for producing voter Identity Cards.
The Election Commission has permitted the use of alternative identity proofs in the absence of a voter ID card.
The Congress leaders also brought to the CEO’s attention allegations that beneficiaries of schemes like Dalit Bandhu are being selected by Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to allegedly favour workers of the ruling party.
They cited an example where 11,700 double bedroom houses were distributed in Hyderabad and Secunderabad, suggesting that the real beneficiaries were overlooked.
The Congress delegation has called on the Chief Electoral Officer to take action against the officials involved in such activities, stressing the importance of ensuring fair and transparent elections.
