HYDERABAD: Data security experts and researchers have claimed that phone numbers and email IDs of voters have been leaked to political parties for the graduates MLC elections and demanded that the Election Commission of India (ECI) order a thorough probe.
Some of them said they had received messages from parties on their mobile phones and urged the ECI to probe how phone numbers and email IDs were given to the parties.
Data security researcher Srinivas Kodali said he had registered himself for the MLC voter lists in Telangana and received a message from BJP floor leader about his enrolment. “How are my details shared with the BJP? BJP has somehow managed to obtain every MLC graduate voter’s phone number. It is not clear whether this data was obtained using the ECI infrastructure or through some other means,” he wondered.
He further said, “The ECI is responsible for protecting a voter’s privacy. It must demand the BJP to explain how it had obtained this information.”
When Srinivas made known his concerns on Twitter, several other voters said that they too had received such a message. The message read, “I am delighted to inform you that you have been enrolled as a voter in MBNR-RR-Hyd graduates MLC constituency. Looking forward for your support and blessings to give me another opportunity to work for better society. N Ramchanddar Rao MLC (sic).”
Final MLC electoral rolls to be published on Jan 22
BJP’s Ramchander Rao’s term will end on March 29, 2021, from Mahbubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad graduadates constituency, while Palla Rajeshwar Reddy of the ruling TRS party is set to retire on the same day from Warangal-Khammam-Nalgonda graduates constituency.
Several voters tagged the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERTIn), a nodal agency to deal with cyber security threats, and the ECI asking them to probe the matter.
When contacted, Telangana chief electoral officer Shashank Goel said he would get the issue verified. “It has not come to my notice. But I will get it verified,” he said.
Defending his party’s drive to engage the voters, Ramchander Rao sought to know: “What is wrong in informing the voters that their votes are enrolled. It is part of an awareness drive and there is no need to raise a hue and cry over this.”
He said the party activists had enrolled around 2.5 lakh cadres and sympathisers. “We have all these details with us. We have sent messages to them. Apart from this, our party cadres went from house to house and with the consent of the voters collected their mobile phone numbers and sent messages.” He further said, “The ECI has provided us the list of voters like any other political party.”
Meanwhile, the deadline for disposal of the claims and objections to draft electoral rolls has been extended to January 18 from January
12. The final electoral rolls for the graduates MLC elections will be published on January 22.
The applicants for enrolment should be ordinary resident in the graduates constituency and in possession of the required educational qualifications for at least three years prior to the qualifying date, officials said.