The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) has urged the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Andhra Pradesh, and the Election Commission of India (ECI) to make the verification process for electors whose records have been classified as unmapped or mismatched more voter-friendly.
In a representation to the CEO on Wednesday (August 12, 2026), YSRCP State general secretary and MLC Lella Appi Reddy sought uniform instructions across the State on three issues: allowing parents or blood relatives to submit documents on behalf of electors, making the verification venue mandatory in every notice, and providing assistance through Booth Level Officers (BLOs). The party released the letter to the media on Thursday.
Mr. Appi Reddy said in the representation that many affected electors could be students, employees, migrant workers or persons temporarily residing away from their native places, and might not be able to appear personally on the date specified in the notice. He requested that parents or blood relatives be permitted to submit the required documents on behalf of such electors, along with proof of relationship and proper authorisation. This, he said, would help ensure that genuine voters were not excluded merely because they could not be physically present.
Mr. Appi Reddy also said that in some notices, the place of verification had reportedly been left blank. A voter could not reasonably be expected to comply with a notice without knowing where to appear, he said.
He urged the authorities to ensure that every notice clearly mentioned the exact venue, date, time and details of the officer concerned before it was served on the elector.
He also called for greater involvement of BLOs in the verification process. Instead of requiring every elector to approach a higher-level electoral officer personally, the BLO concerned should be involved in receiving documents and conducting preliminary or field-level verification, he suggested.
The final statutory decision could continue to rest with the competent Electoral Registration Officer or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer, while BLO-level facilitation would enable voters to resolve discrepancies locally and quickly, he said.
Mr. Appi Reddy appealed to the Election Commission to issue uniform State-wide instructions on the three issues so that no genuine elector was excluded merely because of procedural difficulties, temporary absence from the constituency or lack of clarity in the verification notice.
Published - August 13, 2026 01:11 pm IST
Source: The Hindu - India News
