Local leaders bridge gap between voters and BLOs during SIR drive in south Hyderabad

Local political and community leaders are helping voters complete the Special Intensive Revision process in South Hyderabad by distributing and collecting SIR forms. The arrangement has eased the burden on Booth Level Officers facing challenges in tracing voters and verifying addresses.

HYDERABAD: Local political and community leaders have become an important link between voters and election authorities during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in several parts of South Hyderabad, where Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are facing difficulties in tracing voters and distributing enumeration forms.

In localities including Falaknuma, Chandrayangutta, Shaheen Nagar, Bahadurpura, Rein Bazaar, Tallabkatta, Charminar and Mallepally, residents are approaching local leaders to collect SIR forms and submit them after completion, instead of directly contacting BLOs.

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According to BLOs, irregular house numbering, congested lanes, and frequent migration of residents have made door-to-door verification a challenging task.

A BLO, requesting anonymity, said locating houses itself has become a major hurdle. “House numbers are not in sequence, and many addresses mentioned in the electoral rolls are difficult to trace. Even after finding the door number, identifying the correct house often requires repeated visits,” the BLO said.

Another BLO said many voters had shifted from their registered addresses. “When we visit, we often find that the family has vacated the house. They later called us late at night over the phone after learning about the SIR exercise. Instead of asking them to search for us, we advise them to contact a local leader in the area, collect the form, and submit it through the same channel,” the BLO said.

The arrangement has been adopted in several South Hyderabad localities, where local leaders are assisting BLOs by distributing forms, guiding residents, and collecting completed applications for submission.

A voter, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had shifted residence a year ago, though his family’s voter registration remained in Falaknuma. “I contacted a local leader, collected the SIR form, and completed the process without any difficulty,” the voter said.