Owaisi Urges Telangana Govt to Issue PRCs to Safeguard Voters During Electoral Roll Revision

Hyderabad, July 2026 : AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday urged the Telangana government to issue Permanent Residence Certificates (PRCs) or Family Register Certificates to eligible voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying the move would help lakhs of poor citizens avoid difficulties in proving their eligibility.

Owaisi, accompanied by Faheem Qureshi, President and Vice-Chairman of the Telangana Minority Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS), met Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju and submitted the demand on behalf of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). He appealed to the state government to exercise its powers under Article 162 of the Constitution to facilitate the issuance of PRCs or Family Register Certificates to electors.

According to Owaisi, such certificates would provide a reliable proof of residence for citizens who lack conventional documentation, ensuring that genuine voters are not left out of the revised electoral rolls. He said the initiative would particularly benefit economically weaker sections who often struggle to produce the required documents during voter verification drives.

Taking to social media after the meeting, Owaisi expressed hope that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy would respond positively to the proposal. He said issuing PRCs would make it easier for deserving residents to have their names included in the final electoral rolls and spare them unnecessary hardship and inconvenience.

The AIMIM chief pointed out that Karnataka already follows a similar model, where Permanent Residence Certificates are issued through a government order under the Karnataka Sakala Services Act, 2011. He suggested that Telangana could adopt a comparable system to ensure that eligible citizens are not disenfranchised.

Owaisi also argued that Telangana possesses several credible and comprehensive databases that can be used to verify residency. These include the Samagra Kutumba Survey, the Socio-Economic and Caste Surveys conducted in 2024 and 2025, records maintained under the Bhu Bharati Act, Food Security Card data held by the Civil Supplies Department, municipal tax records, and school and education board databases.

He maintained that these existing databases provide sufficient evidence to establish residency and could form the basis for issuing PRCs without placing an additional burden on ordinary citizens.

The Hyderabad MP reiterated that the proposed measure would particularly benefit poor families, minorities, Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, many of whom may not possess formal documentation despite residing in the state for years.

Owaisi had first raised the issue publicly on July 6, warning that thousands of genuine voters could face exclusion during the Special Intensive Revision if immediate corrective measures were not taken. He questioned why the government had not yet introduced PRCs despite being aware of the documentation challenges faced by vulnerable communities.

He also cautioned the ruling Congress against expressing sympathy after the publication of the final electoral rolls if eligible voters were excluded. Instead, he urged the government to act proactively by implementing a practical solution before the revision process concludes.

Owaisi revealed that he had earlier discussed the matter with Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and is also seeking an appointment with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy to personally present his proposal. He expressed optimism that the government would take a decision in the larger public interest to ensure that no eligible voter is deprived of their democratic right due to a lack of documentation.