Is family mapping of voters enough for SIR in Telangana?

Hyderabad: Ahead of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, which is all set to begin soon in Telangana districts, including Hyderabad, along with other states that were not covered in the first two phases of the exercise, the Election Commission is going to conduct family mapping.

However, family mapping to verify electoral rolls is not enough for the exercise, as notices can be triggered even after successful linking of the voters to the 2002 SIR list.

SIR family mapping in Hyderabad, other Telangana districts

As SIR is most likely to begin next month, many booth-level officers (BLO) are mapping voters in the current electoral rolls with 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 the following relatives.

1. Father
2. Mother
3. Maternal grandfather
4. Maternal grandmother
5. Paternal grandfather
6. Paternal grandmother

Those who successfully find their or their relatives’ names in the 2002 SIR list do not need to submit any documents.

Otherwise, the voters have to submit any one of the following ECI-listed documents.

Logical discrepancies

Even after successful family mapping in Telangana districts, including Hyderabad, and other states, voters can get notices in the following cases.

1. In case of mapping with parents
   a. Age gap between voters and parents less than 15 years
   b. Age gap between voters and parents more than 50 years.
2. In case of mapping with maternal/paternal grandparents
   a. Age gap between voters and maternal/paternal grandparents less than 40 years.
3. More than six persons mapped with a single person listed in the 2002 SIR list.

In all of the above-listed discrepancies, the voters are most likely to get notices. However, in such cases, the voters just need to prove the relationship with the elector in the 2002 SIR list.

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 of theirs mentioning both their name and their father/mother.

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

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

As citizens in Telangana can be asked to prove their relationship with the voters in the last SIR through documents in case of the following logical discrepancies, family mapping needs to be done carefully and with the allowed relatives only.