Hyderabad: Voters who shifted their residence without updating their addresses in the electoral roll may not receive enumeration forms during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and could find their names missing from the draft roll if they are not traced during verification, Telangana chief electoral officer (CEO) C Sudharshan Reddy has said.Addressing a press conference on Saturday, the CEO said enumeration forms were being delivered based on the address recorded in the electoral roll. If a voter has moved from one locality to another, such as from Kukatpally to Gandhinagar, without updating the electoral record, the form would be delivered to the old address. “If the voter is not found there, the person may be marked as ‘shifted’ or ‘absent’ during the verification process.He clarified that such voters would not automatically lose their voting rights permanently, but might not figure in the draft roll unless they complete the prescribed process. Voters who have shifted residence would be required to submit ‘Form 6’ for fresh registration at the new address or ‘Form 8’ for corrections and updating details.SIR, being undertaken in Telangana after nearly 24 years, aims to clean up the electoral rolls by identifying deceased, shifted and otherwise ineligible entries while ensuring that eligible voters are retained.Speaking OrdersSeeking to address concerns about wrongful deletions, Sudharshan Reddy said electoral registration officers (EROs) would function as quasi-judicial authorities during the notice period.He said that before any voter’s name was removed from the electoral roll, the ERO must verify documents, examine the case and issue a “speaking order” explaining the reasons for the decision. The process is intended to ensure that no eligible voter is excluded and no ineligible voter remains on the rolls.The CEO said around 85 lakh electors have been identified across 11 categories of anomalies. These cases would be examined during the revision process. He also clarified that failure to be mapped with older records does not automatically result in deletion from the electoral roll.Door-to-Door Drive From June 25The preparatory phase of the exercise is being carried out between June 15 and June 24 and includes printing forms, deployment of staff and training booth-level officers (BLOs), EROs and district collectors. The enumeration phase would run from June 25 to July 24, during which BLOs would undertake door-to-door visits to distribute and collect forms.According to the CEO, every BLO would be responsible for covering all households in a polling station area, comprising about 1,000 to 1,200 voters. In urban areas, where identifying residents could be more challenging, assistants familiar with local neighbourhoods might be engaged to support the exercise.Each enumeration form carries the voter’s name, photograph and the name and phone number of the concerned BLO. Two forms would be filled out for every voter. The BLO would collect a copy, while the second, signed one, would be handed over to the voter as an acknowledgement.Sudharshan Reddy reiterated that all completed forms must be submitted by July 25 and said there would be no extension beyond the deadline.While a list of 12 documents has been prescribed, he said the ERO might consider other govt-issued documents in cases where specific documents are not available in the state. Voters whose details match records from 2002 might not be required to furnish additional documents. Submission of a new colour photograph is optional and intended for those wishing to update their image in the electoral roll.The CEO said statewide mapping has reached 70.5%, with rural constituencies recording higher progress, many crossing 80% and some nearing 99%. Urban districts continue to lag, with mapping standing at 45.5% in Hyderabad, 43.5% in Medchal and 56.5% in Rangareddy.To ensure transparency, BLOs have been directed to hold weekly meetings with booth-level agents (BLAs) of recognised political parties and submit photographs and minutes of those meetings to the EROs. Sudharshan Reddy said strict action would be taken against any staff member found intentionally committing mistakes or providing misleading guidance during the revision process.
