SIR enumeration forms only for voters enrolled till June 10: Telangana CEO

Enumeration forms under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are being distributed only to those who were registered as voters as of June 10, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C. Sudharshan Reddy said on Friday.

Addressing the Meet the Press programme organised by the Press Club, Hyderabad, Mr. Reddy said the Election Commission of India had undertaken the SIR exercise after a gap of 24 years as part of a nationwide initiative to comprehensively update and purify the electoral rolls. Normally, such an exercise is conducted once every five years, he said.

He clarified that only those voters who submit duly filled enumeration forms along with the required details would find their names in the draft electoral roll. However, he urged people not to assume that exclusion from the draft list would result in the loss of voting rights, as eligible persons would be allowed to apply afresh through Form-6 and Form-8 during August and September.

Responding to concerns over delays in the distribution of forms, Mr. Reddy said the process had become challenging in urban areas due to mix up of areas pertaining to Booth Level Officers. Besides, the ECI has directed for appointment of Group C officers as BLOs, who had no knowledge of their respective areas.

The CEO said around 10 categories of anomalies had been identified in the electoral rolls, and notices would be issued wherever discrepancies were found. Unless the ERO issues speaking orders after thorough verification of the details, the voter’s name will not be deleted from the rolls, he assured. Even after the ERO’s decision, the elector will have the opportunity to appeal to the district collector and further on to the CEO.

A separate statement from the CEO’s office informed that, Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Dr. Pawan Kumar Sharma, during a video conference with State election officials, directed them to complete the SIR process within the stipulated timeframe.

Dr. Sharma also advised other districts to adopt best practices followed by high-performing districts and instructed the CEO to closely monitor daily targets to ensure the timely completion of the exercise.