Hyderabad: With the Election Commission preparing for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list in Telangana, booth-level officers (BLOs) in Hyderabad have begun the process of linking names with the 2002 electoral roll, a step commonly referred to as progeny mapping.
Under the exercise, voters are being asked to keep ready details of their own names or those of close relatives that appear in the 2002 list. The work follows remarks by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar that SIR in states not covered in the first two phases would be rolled out shortly.
BLOs begin door-to-door visits
As part of the drive, BLOs have started visiting households in localities such as Shaheen Nagar and Sadath Nagar to carry out the mapping.
If a voter’s name appears in the 2002 list, the linking is straightforward. Those whose names do not feature are being asked to connect themselves through relatives whose entries exist in the older roll.
According to Election Commission guidelines, this mapping can be done using the names of a voter’s:
- Father
- Mother
- Maternal grandfather
- Maternal grandmother
- Paternal grandfather
- Paternal grandmother
However, some BLOs said there was still confusion on the ground about the exact scope of the rules. A few officers in Hyderabad claimed they were currently linking voters only through fathers, mothers and paternal grandfathers.
What Election Commission guidelines say
Training material prepared for SIR in West Bengal states that if an elector’s name does not appear in the last revision, details of the father, mother, grandfather, grandmother or other relatives can be entered.
Similarly, the online standard operating procedure (SOP) for filling SIR enumeration forms gives three options to voters:
- That their own name exists in the last SIR roll
- That their parents’ or grandparents’ names exist
- That neither does
The wording makes it clear that both grandfathers and grandmothers are included.
This interpretation has also been reiterated by election officials in other states, including Uttar Pradesh, where authorities clarified that grandparents on both the maternal and paternal side are valid for linking.
Officials in Hyderabad pointed out that even the BLO mobile application allows a person in the 2002 list to be connected as a parent or grandparent to sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters or transgender persons — definitions that implicitly cover both sides of the family.
How to find details from the 2002 list
How to check names in the 2002 list
Voters can look up older roll details through the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer website (click here) by selecting the electoral search option, entering the required information and checking whether their own or relatives’ names appear in the previous SIR.
Officials recommend keeping these details handy ahead of the revision drive, as they can include information relating to parents or grandparents.
Election staff stress that clarity on the rules is crucial, since proper mapping can reduce the workload of electoral registration officers and avoid unnecessary notices being issued to voters later.
Documents needed during SIR
If a voter is successfully linked through the mapping process, no documents will be needed at this stage. Those who remain unlinked will be issued notices later in the SIR process and asked to submit proof from a prescribed list.
These include government identity cards or pension orders, certificates issued before July 1, 1987, by public authorities or banks, birth certificates, passports, educational certificates, permanent residence certificates, forest rights documents, caste certificates, family registers, NRC records where applicable, or government land or housing allotment papers.
For Aadhaar, separate Election Commission directions will apply.
The documentation required will also depend on a voter’s date of birth.
Those born before July 1, 1987, must submit proof for themselves.
Those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, must provide a document for themselves and one parent.
Voters born after December 2, 2004 will have to submit proof for themselves as well as for both parents.
Election officials say the preparatory exercise is meant to smoothen the revision process and ensure fewer disputes once the full SIR is rolled out across Hyderabad and the rest of Telangana.
If the voter is either linked or mapped successfully, no documents are needed. However, those who remain unlinked and unmapped will receive notice at a later stage of the SIR.
