After SIR mapping, officials to focus on anomalies in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Officials are going to focus on anomalies after the completion of the mapping exercise during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana.

During the exercise, which is set to begin on June 15, there will be three types of voters in the state:

1. Mapped
2. Mapped with anomalies
3. Unmapped

How categorisation is done?

During the pre-SIR phase and also during the enumeration phase, from June 25 to July 24, the voters can map themselves with the names of electors in the 2002 SIR list.

Those who successfully find their names in both the current electoral roll and the 2002 SIR list will be mapped. However, those who are not in the earlier SIR list need to link themselves to one of their relatives viz., father, mother, maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother, paternal grandfather, or paternal grandmother.

These voters will be considered either mapped or mapped with anomalies. However, those who could not find their names or the names of the six allowed relatives will be treated as unmapped.

In the case of unmapped voters in Hyderabad or other districts of Telangana, they have to submit the ECI-listed documents based on their date of birth during the SIR.

Those who are mapped with themselves or their relatives need not submit any documents. However, those who fall under the mapped with anomalies category will be asked to submit documents, not necessarily ECI-listed documents.

How anomalies are resolved?

In the earlier phase of the SIR exercise which was conducted in 12 states and union territories, the anomalies were referred to as ‘logical discrepancies’.

These logical discrepancies were:

1. Name mismatch
2. Age gap with parents less than 15 years or more than 50 years
3. Age gap with grandparents less than 40 years
4. Six or more persons mapped to one person in the last SIR list

The logical discrepancy cases in Uttar Pradesh were resolved by submitting documents to prove the relationship.

As per Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa, to reply to logical discrepancy notices, the voters can submit any documents, not necessarily from ECI-listed documents, to prove the relationship.

Those who are mapped with parents may be asked to provide any document mentioning both their name and their father’s/mother’s name.

In the case of mapping with maternal grandparents, the electors may be asked to provide any document mentioning both their name and their mother’s name. Apart from it, such electors need to provide their mother’s document mentioning her name and her father’s/mother’s names.

In the case of mapping with paternal grandparents, the electors may be asked to provide any document mentioning both their name and their father’s name. Apart from it, such electors need to provide their father’s document mentioning his name and his father’s/mother’s names.

However, in the case of Odisha, which is going for the SIR exercise in Phase III, the ‘panchnama’ route is reportedly being adopted.

In the case of a person linked with parents or grandparents where there is an issue of age gap, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Odisha are reportedly going to attach an undertaking signed by them and witnesses.

It is not clear whether Telangana is going to follow Uttar Pradesh and ask for documents to prove relationships or go ahead with the BLO undertaking.

SIR schedule for Hyderabad, other Telangana districts

Recently, Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy said the SIR of electoral rolls would be conducted in the state from June 15.

The house-to-house verification will be taken up from June 25 to July 24.

During the verification process, as many as 35,000 BLOs will be deployed across the state. The BLOs will visit residences and hand over the enumeration forms. They will later collect the filled-out forms.

Following are the important dates of SIR:

The CEO said meetings were held with political parties three times. The parties were urged to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs).

The BLAs would help the BLOs in the identification of voters and houses. Many parties have appointed BLAs, he added.