Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and Telangana CM Revanth Reddy (Left Box)
Hyderabad: The Election Commission of India (ECI), in its clarification dated August 11, 2026, has made it clear that the Family Register Certificate introduced by the Telangana Congress government through GO Ms. No. 172 on July 25, 2026, cannot be accepted as one of the designated documents for verification during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The clarification has also raised serious questions over the role of AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who had pushed the Congress government and CM Revanth Reddy to introduce the certificate and, on July 27, 2026, publicly claimed that it was “one of the 12 acceptable documents under the Special Intensive Revision”.
By presenting the certificate as an accepted SIR document and urging Hyderabad voters to obtain it, Owaisi appears to have misled voters as well as the State Congress government, as the ECI has now categorically clarified that the newly issued Family Register Certificate cannot be accepted as a designated document for SIR verification.
The ECI therefore issued a categorical clarification:
In a letter dated August 11, 2026, addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer, Telangana, the ECI examined the State Government’s Family Register Certificate introduced under GO Ms. No. 172 and distinguished it from the earlier Family Member Certificate issued under the 2013 system.
The ECI noted that the earlier Family Member Certificate was issued by the Tahsildar after verification of documents and local enquiry. In contrast, the new Family Register Certificate introduced during the SIR process is generated through MeeSeva using data electronically fetched from the Food Security Card (ration card) database, with no independent verification procedure before its issuance.
The Commission also pointed out that the ration card is not one of the designated documents under the SIR process. Referring to the Supreme Court’s observations in Association for Democratic Reforms v. ECI, the ECI noted that a ration card is not conclusive proof of citizenship and that the choice of documents for electoral-roll verification falls within the Commission’s domain.
“Accordingly, it is hereby clarified that the Family Register Certificate under GO Ms. No. 172 dated 25.07.2026 can only be treated as equivalent to a ration card and therefore cannot be accepted as one of the designated documents during the verification process under SIR.”
At the same time, the ECI made an important distinction. Family Member Certificates issued before July 25, 2026, under the old regime governed by the June 25, 2013 memorandum, would be accepted during SIR verification.
The ECI letter also records that the Telangana Government itself had earlier clarified that the new Family Register Certificate “has no bearing on, and is completely delinked from the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls currently under process in the State.”
Owaisi’s push for Family Register Certificate
The Family Register Certificate was not introduced in isolation. AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi had actively sought such a document from the Congress government in Telangana during the SIR process. Owaisi met Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju along with Congress leader Faheem Qureshi in July and demanded that the government issue a Permanent Residence Certificate or Family Register Certificate to help voters during the SIR.
Owaisi welcomed the move on July 27, 2026, and claimed that the certificate was “one of the 12 acceptable documents under the Special Intensive Revision”. He also urged people to use the facility, saying it would benefit poor and undocumented people who received SIR notices.
BJP had raised the issue earlier
The Telangana BJP had raised objections to the FRC soon after the Congress government introduced it. The party approached the ECI on July 28, 2026, and demanded that certificates issued under GO Ms. No. 172 not be accepted during the SIR.
The BJP questioned the timing of the Government Order, pointing out that the SIR process was already under way. It also raised concerns over the fact that the new Family Register was linked to Food Security Card data and alleged that the move could weaken the verification process. The party had also alleged that the initiative followed pressure from AIMIM and Owaisi.
The BJP’s objection was therefore not merely about the existence of a Family Register as a State Government record. Its central concern was whether a document created after the SIR process had begun could be introduced and treated as an additional document for electoral verification.
Hyderabad sees rush for Family Register Certificates
Following the introduction of the Family Register Certificate by the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government, a large number of residents in Hyderabad rushed to MeeSeva centres to obtain the certificates, amid concerns over SIR notices.
As per media reports, around 5.97 lakh applications had been filed, with about 3.15 lakh approved and 2,100 rejected at that stage.
Owaisi silent after ECI clarification
Owaisi was vocal when the Telangana Government accepted his demand. He welcomed the decision, claimed that the certificate would help poor and undocumented people and specifically told people that it was one of the 12 acceptable documents under the SIR.
However, after the ECI issued its clarification on August 11, Owaisi has remained silent on the contradiction between his earlier claim and the Commission’s position.
Critics argue that Owaisi misled people in Telangana, particularly voters in Hyderabad’s Old City, by presenting the FRC as an accepted SIR document. They further allege that the move was part of an AIMIM effort to influence the electoral-roll revision and facilitate the inclusion of illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants in the electoral rolls by lobbying the Congress government.
EC Status report on SIR
The latest Telangana SIR status report shows that 2,64,87,214 enumeration forms, covering 78.30% of the State’s 3,38,26,448 electors, have been digitised. Another 73,39,234 forms, or 21.70%, were classified as uncollectable. Of these, 45,18,961 were permanently shifted, 11,25,546 were absent or untraceable, 9,22,230 related to deceased electors, 6,70,203 were already enrolled and 1,02,294 fell under other categories.
The draft electoral roll is scheduled to be published on August 17, followed by the claims and objections period until September 16. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on October 19, 2026.
