The special two-day voter enrolment camps held in Hyderabad concluded on Friday with a lukewarm response from the public. Voters showed little interest in participating in these camps.
Although booth level officers (BLOs) were stationed at polling stations on Friday, after many had played truant on Thursday, electors did not turn up. This reflects the low polling percentage observed in Hyderabad over the years.
Even political parties’ booth level agents (BLAs) were absent from many polling stations. While BLOs blamed electors for showing little interest, electors stated that the camps were held on working days, making it difficult for them to attend.
One elector commented, “Such camps should be held on holidays or Saturday–Sunday,” highlighting the inconvenience caused to working individuals by the weekday schedule.
Election authorities had instructed BLOs to conduct house-to-house visits for voter enrolment, but such visits were not carried out in several parts of the city during the two days, further impacting the enrolment process.
The poor response to voter enrolment camps, coupled with voter dissatisfaction over weekday scheduling and the lack of house-to-house visits, could affect voter registration in Telangana. This situation may also influence future election turnout in the region.
