Ground report: What happens on SIR hearing day in Hyderabad?

Hyderabad: The notice phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is underway in Hyderabad, with voters who receive notices being called for hearings.

Voters are receiving notices for different reasons. These notices are broadly placed under two categories: “Anomaly” and “No Mapping”.

What voters can expect at SIR Hearings in Hyderabad

On the hearing day, the elector has to appear at the designated centre and carry the relevant documents.

At the centre, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) records the voter’s details in the ‘BLO Verification Certificate’ and the ‘Speaking Order’.

The verification process also includes taking a selfie photograph of the BLO with the elector.

The BLO then photographs the documents produced and uploads the data on the official Election Commission of India (ECI) app.

Why are voters receiving SIR notices?

Anomaly notices are issued when certain details in the current electoral roll and previous SIR records do not match or appear inconsistent.

The reasons include:

• A gap of less than nine months between progeny.
• An age difference of less than 15 years between a parent and progeny.
• An age difference of more than 50 years between a parent and progeny.
• An age difference of less than 40 years between an elector and grandparent.
• A different parent name in the current electoral roll and the last SIR.
• A different relative type mapped between the current electoral roll and the last SIR.
• The elector being mapped with the father in the current roll but with the husband in the last SIR.
• A different father’s name in the current electoral roll and the last SIR in the case of the elector’s own record.
• An incorrect age difference between the current electoral roll and the last SIR for the elector.

Apart from these anomaly-related reasons, voters who did not provide their 2002 SIR details in the enumeration form are also receiving notices.