Hyderabad BLOs in a fix over ASD, voters retain registration in villages

As the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls nears completion, many Hyderabad voters are opting to retain their registration in native villages, creating challenges for Booth Level Officers. Officials face difficulties in achieving digitisation targets amid low form submissions and verification issues

Hyderabad: As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll enters its final phase, a large number of urban voters are choosing to retain their voter registration in their native villages rather than in the city. This has become a challenge for the city Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in achieving their digitisation targets.

Several people who migrated from villages and districts to Hyderabad and its adjoining areas over a period of time continue to have voter registrations in both the city and their native villages. As the SIR mandates electors to retain only one registration, many voters are making it clear to the BLOs that they want to retain their names only in their native villages.

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According to the BLOs, many are retaining their voter registration in villages to preserve their identity. Some attribute it to owning agricultural land and other property in their villages, while others view voter registration in villages as having greater significance than in urban areas, where voter participation is lower.

This trend has increased the BLOs’ workload. During a recent meeting, senior officials of the Hyderabad District Election Office are learnt to have pulled up EROs, AEROs and BLOs for recording 40 per cent or lower in form collection and digitisation. Some BLOs were reportedly warned of disciplinary action, including suspension, for poor form collection.

“We are being asked to get the voter ID numbers of electors who have retained their registration in their villages. Who will share such details? In death cases, we are asked to collect death certificates from family members, who are refusing to share them. The administration is looking only at the numbers and targets, but not at the issues the BLOs are facing on the ground,” a BLO lamented.

According to the BLOs, the Hyderabad DEO’s top brass has set a target of 50 per cent form collection and digitisation over the next couple of days. This, they said, is difficult to achieve as several people have already shifted their votes, while a large number of people who collected forms are not returning them.

“Despite our repeated efforts, electors are not returning their forms. Due to pressure to achieve the target, some BLOs are uploading forms of absent, shifted and deceased voters as well. The EROs know the situation on the ground, but they are helpless as well,” the BLO said.