Hyderabad: AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has urged the Telangana government to issue Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs) to poor residents, warning that many eligible voters could lose their voting rights during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls due to the lack of required documents.
Speaking at a workshop for volunteer lawyers in Hyderabad, Owaisi said many economically weaker citizens do not possess the documents required for voter verification. He suggested that Telangana introduce a system similar to Karnataka, where Permanent Residence Certificates help residents establish their identity.
Owaisi proposed that PRCs could be issued based on records such as the names of parents or grandparents in electoral rolls, Aadhaar cards, ration cards and school certificates. He said AIMIM receives daily complaints from people facing difficulties in producing the required documents during the SIR process.
He stressed that while fake, duplicate and deceased voters should be removed from the electoral rolls, genuine voters should not be denied their constitutional right to vote because of documentation issues. He urged the Congress-led Telangana government to act before the revision process is completed to ensure that eligible voters are not left out.
Owaisi also criticised the BRS for not raising the issue with the Election Commission during its tenure in power and called on all political parties to work together to protect the voting rights of eligible citizens.
