Rationalisation of polling booths with over 1,200 voters to enhance accessibility

Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarshan Reddy. File | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

Chief Electoral Officer of Telangana C. Sudharshan Reddy has directed the District Collectors and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to complete all pre-revision activities for the upcoming special summary revision (SSR) of electoral rolls, focusing on rationalizing polling stations, filling vacant posts, and training officials, in line with the Election Commission of India guidelines.

The election officials were directed to rationalise polling stations with over 1,200 voters to enhance voter accessibility. The officials have been instructed to conduct surveys to identify new locations in high-rise buildings, group housing societies, and slum clusters. All vacant posts, including EROs, assistant EROs, and booth level officers (BLOs), must be filled immediately, with additional BLOs appointed for new polling stations likely to be set up, the CEO said. In a video conference with district collectors, the CEO said that comprehensive training on electoral laws, IT systems, and house-to-house verification is mandatory for all officials.

The Chief Electoral Officer said that the ECI’s special summary revision guidelines highlighted pre-revision activities as essential for ensuring accurate and credible electoral rolls. Rationalization, as per the ECI’s Manual on Polling Stations 2020, was aimed at distributing electors equitably and to ensure that families remained together at polling stations. Surveys, he said, should prioritise community halls in high-rise buildings, RWA colonies, and areas near slum clusters to improve polling access.

He said that the expected increase in polling stations necessitated appointment of additional booth level officers (BLOs) to manage verification and assist electors with forms. Training programs envisaged equipping EROs, AEROs, BLOs, and supervisors with knowledge of electoral laws and the latest IT applications for efficient data management. BLOs were tasked with house-to-house surveys to update electoral entries and facilitate form submissions.

Published - June 09, 2025 08:31 pm IST