‘No mapping’ voters must appear in person as Telangana tightens roll verification | Hyderabad News

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Hyderabad: Electors flagged for irregularities during Telangana’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) will now have to personally appear before hearing officers with original documents, as election authorities tighten scrutiny of voter records. In a move aimed at ensuring transparency, booth-level officers (BLOs) have also been directed to record attendance and capture group photographs during the hearings.Detailed guidelines issued by chief electoral officer C Sudharsan Reddy on Aug 20 outline the procedure for issuing notices, verifying documents and conducting hearings for electors whose records have been flagged during the SIR exercise. The instructions have been circulated to the GHMC commissioner, Hyderabad district election officer (DEO), and all collectors and DEOs across the state.The exercise covers electors whose records were marked for ‘no mapping‘ or other anomalies detected during enumeration, including duplicate entries, demographic discrepancies, missing data and mismatched SIR references.BLOs to explain why notice was issuedThe guidelines require electoral registration officers (EROs) to distribute polling station parts among existing and additional assistant EROs without overlap and avoid assigning all parts to a single officer. A desktop assessment will be conducted to determine the number of notices, hearing dates, officers, and venues required.AEROs may also conduct hearings within polling station areas wherever feasible. Electors must be informed in advance through BLOs, while political parties’ booth-level agents are also to be notified.Printed notices must be handed over to BLOs within the stipulated 48-hour period. BLOs have been asked to serve the notices preferably within two days and immediately update the BLO app. Notices may be delivered either to the elector or a family member.Importantly, BLOs have been instructed to clearly explain the reason for the notice, the date and venue of the hearing, and the documents required from the elector.Electors can upload supporting documents through the voters’ portal or BLO app, or submit them directly before the hearing officer. However, the guidelines state that the BLO should personally capture and upload documents through the app to prevent mismatches. BLOs have also been advised to be present during hearings, record attendance, and take a group photograph.No mapping casesDuring the hearings, officials will verify the elector’s identity, physical presence, electoral roll particulars and SIR mapping status. Electors will be given an opportunity to explain discrepancies and submit supporting documents.Verification of documents in ‘no mapping‘ and anomaly cases, except those involving name and age mismatches, will be undertaken by the DEO. The guidelines also allow DEOs to direct officers to prioritise original documents and follow a rolling four-day clearance cycle for disposal of cases.To ensure accountability, BLO supervisors have been asked to independently verify 10% of the work carried out by each BLO under their jurisdiction.Electors who did not submit enumeration forms by Aug 10 can still apply for inclusion through Form-6 along with the prescribed declaration form during the claims and objections period. EROs have been directed to display claims and objections lists on every working day and share weekly updates with political parties.