This story is from July 15, 2019

Secunderabad cantonment polls: 28,000 seek inclusion in voter list

The Supreme Court in its judgment in September 2016 had stated that those encroaching upon defence land will have no right to vote in the SCB polls.
Secunderabad cantonment polls: 28,000 seek inclusion in voter list
(Representative image)
SECUNDERABAD: While preparations for electoral rolls in Secunderabad Cantonment Board (SCB) are on in full swing, nearly 28,000 voters in Secunderabad Cantonment whose names were deleted from the voters list on orders of the Supreme Court, have been approaching the SCB officials to include their names in the electoral rolls.
The Supreme Court in its judgment in September 2016 had stated that those encroaching upon defence land will have no right to vote in the SCB polls.
Voters whose names were removed are slum-dwellers who had 'illegally encroached upon' defence land which comes under Defence Estates Office, Telangana.
Untitled design - 2019-07-15T104058.498

It is for the first time that over 28,000 voters in Cantonment area have been barred from casting their vote.
Names of nearly 17,000 voters were deleted in ward number-II (Rasoolpura), which is the highest and in ward number-I (Bowenpally), names of 350 voters were deleted. Similarly, names of 3,500 voters in ward number-III (Karkhana), 500 voters in ward numbers IV and V (Mahendra Hills), 1,200 voters in ward number-VI (Tadbund), 7,600 voters in ward number-VII (Trimulgherry) and 700 voters in ward number-VIII (Bollarum), were deleted. "There is no chance for these encroachers to cast their vote in the SCB polls to be held in 2020," SCB sources confirmed to TOI.

"We are doing rounds of the SCB office to get our names added in the voters list. We have been using our right to vote for more than four decades," said a resident of Rasoolpura.
Meanwhile, SCB election wing has opened a helpdesk at SCB main office to receive applications from residents of the Cantonment area to add or delete names in the voters' list. Voters can also verify their names in the draft rolls at the helpdesk. "A final voters list will be published on September 15 and displayed in circle offices of SCB," added SCB election wing sources.
As per official SCB records, nearly 1.58 lakh voters are enrolled in the board's voters list. "The number of voters may increase slightly as till date, we have received nearly 300 applications for addition of names in the electoral rolls," said a senior SCB official.
The Ministry of Defence is likely to issue a notification to conduct elections in all 62 Cantonments including Secunderabad Cantonment in October. There are eight civilian wards in Secunderabad Cantonment area and the tenure of the present board members will end in the first week of January, 2020.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA