VCK submits representation to District Joint Collector regarding irregularities in Amalapuram municipal voter list... Demand to immediately halt the flawed draft voter list and reservation process... Call for a transparent re-survey at the field level in accordance with GO 1113 guidelines... Demand for strict action against responsible officials...

.         SRINIVAS SPL Correspondent 
Amalapuram-Visakhapatnam - Indian News Times -Bonthu Ramana, State Deputy General Secretary of the Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), alleged that the draft voter list and reservation process published by officials for the Amalapuram Municipality are highly objectionable and contrary to the spirit of the Constitution. He, along with a party delegation, met the District Joint Collector at the Amalapuram Collectorate and submitted a representation. Speaking later, he pointed out that under GO No. 1113, municipal officials were required to conduct a transparent, door-to-door collection of details regarding SC, ST, BC, OC, and female voters in every ward between the 8th and 12th of this month. However, he strongly criticized the officials for preparing the lists in a bogus manner while sitting in their offices, without actually visiting the field. Ramana noted that significant discrepancies become evident when comparing the newly released list with the voter statistics from 2020.  It was noted that the number of ST voters rose from 454 in 2020 to 581, an increase of 73. Similarly, the count of SC voters went from 5,034 to 5,093, reflecting a rise of only 61. In contrast, the number of OC voters surged from 20,206 to 21,194—an addition of 988—raising suspicions. It was criticized as bizarre that, while the population across all other categories is growing, the number of BC voters has been drastically cut. The fact that BC voters dropped from 14,341 in 2020 to 14,211—a decline of 130—was cited as evidence of the officials' lack of transparency. Concern was expressed that reducing the BC voter count despite population growth, and failing to increase the SC voter count in proportion to the population, risks depriving these communities of their constitutionally guaranteed political reservation rights in the upcoming elections. It was deemed regrettable that, despite having a BC minister and three SC MLAs in the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district, there has been silence regarding the officials' handling of municipal reservations and the voter list.  They urged public representatives to respond immediately and pressure officials to ensure justice by granting SC and BC communities their statutory reservation rights, commensurate with their population proportions. VCK leaders demanded the immediate suspension of the currently published draft list of voters and the ongoing reservation process. They called for an honest and transparent re-survey to be conducted at the field level by municipal staff, in accordance with the provisions of GO 1113. Bonthu Ramana urged for a comprehensive inquiry into the data manipulation and strict action against the responsible officials; he further insisted that reservations be finalized correctly based on accurate statistics to ensure that marginalized and weaker sections do not lose their constitutional reservation rights. VCK District Presidents Mendi David Ambedkar and Jalli Ajay participated in this program.