BJP asks CEO to counter ‘misleading’ claims linking voter ID to welfare benefits

Telangana BJP has urged the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to inform the public about a reported clarification by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar that possession of a voter ID card is not mandatory for availing government welfare schemes.The demand comes amid allegations that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and other State government functionaries have been warning rural residents that they must enrol as voters or risk losing access to welfare benefits, BJP State president N. Ramchander Rao also accused the ruling party of pressuring some booth-level officers to discourage the enrolment of targeted migrants and voters perceived to be ‘supportive of the BJP’ and residing in Hyderabad, ‘with the objective of reducing their numbers on the electoral rolls’.