Telangana BJP alleges family certificates are backdoor to illegal voter enrolment

The Telangana BJP president, N. Ramchander Rao, has accused the Congress-led state government of attempting to legitimise Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants as voters through the issuance of Family Register Certificates. He described the move as a “backdoor attempt” to protect vote banks ahead of the electoral roll revision process.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Mr. Rao alleged that the government was acting at the behest of the AIMIM, which had publicly demanded such certificates to prevent names from being deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He claimed the decision raised serious constitutional, legal, electoral, and national security concerns, and that the certificates were being projected as acceptable documents to help “undocumented people”.

“This is a calculated attempt to protect and expand the illegal vote-bank politics nurtured by the Congress, BRS, and AIMIM,” he said. He noted that Family Register Certificates have traditionally been issued for matters relating to government employees, and expanding their scope during the SIR process could create significant room for misuse and manipulation.

The certificates, generated using ration card records and related family data, merely establish family composition and cannot be treated as proof of Indian citizenship, Mr. Rao argued. He asserted that without proper citizenship verification, their widespread issuance could facilitate the integration of illegal immigrants into the state’s administrative framework, posing risks to national security and public order.

The BJP would oppose any attempt to enrol illegal immigrants in electoral rolls and would pursue the issue politically and legally to ensure that only eligible Indian citizens remain on the rolls, he added.

In a separate interaction in Suryapet, Mr. Rao criticised Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for prioritising trips to Delhi over addressing issues faced by Telangana’s students and unemployed youth. “The CM should respond to the concerns of students and the frustrations of unemployed youth over the lack of job opportunities instead of meeting the Congress high command,” he said.

He alleged that nearly 20 lakh students were facing hardships as colleges had reportedly withheld certificates due to pending payments from the government. He also called for a complete overhaul of the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC), citing reports that original OMR answer sheets were found lying on a road.

The state government has not yet issued a public response to these allegations. The claims remain unverified, and the BJP leader's statements are part of ongoing political debate in Telangana ahead of electoral updates.