Hyderabad: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) will approach the Election Commission of India to ensure that the voting rights of Telangana residents working in Gulf countries are protected during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, party working president KT Rama Rao (KTR) said on Friday, May 22.
KTR raises concerns of Gulf-based NRIs
Addressing a review meeting with party leaders and Assembly constituency in-charges from the undivided Nizamabad district, KTR said the party had received concerns from a large number of Gulf-based Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) over the possibility of their names being removed from voter lists during the revision process being undertaken by the Election Commission.
He said the BRS would soon send a delegation of senior leaders, MLAs and MPs to New Delhi to meet the Central Election Commission and seek measures to safeguard the voting rights of Telangana citizens living abroad for employment.
“The voting rights of Telangana people who migrated to Gulf countries for livelihood should not be removed under any circumstances. We will ensure that every eligible voter’s rights are protected,” KTR said.
The meeting was held at the residence of former minister and MLA Vemula Prashanth Reddy and was attended by constituency in-charges and senior party leaders from Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts.
KTR asks BRS cadres to coordinate with Gulf-based voters
KTR instructed party functionaries and booth-level agents appointed by the BRS for the SIR exercise to coordinate closely with Gulf-based voters and collect necessary details to ensure their names are not deleted from electoral rolls.
He also asked leaders from the undivided Nizamabad and Karimnagar districts to take special initiative in monitoring the revision process at the local level.
The BRS leader said the party would provide assistance through its booth-level network to help overseas voters complete any formalities required during the voter verification exercise.
KTR looks into BRS matters in undivided Nizamabad
Apart from the SIR exercise, KTR also reviewed organisational matters and outlined steps to strengthen the party structure in the region. He urged leaders to utilise the ongoing membership enrolment drive to further expand the party’s grassroots presence.
Recalling that the undivided Nizamabad district had remained a stronghold of the BRS since the party’s early years, KTR asked leaders to conduct the membership campaign and voter verification exercise in a systematic manner.
Leaders from different Assembly constituencies briefed KTR on local political conditions and organisational issues. According to party leaders, several sections of the public were unhappy with the policies of the Congress government and were looking toward the return of former chief minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.
Senior BRS leader Suresh Reddy, district membership drive in-charge VG Goud, and other senior functionaries also participated in the meeting, a press release informed.
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