Telangana SIR: 18.12 lakh voters face exclusion from final electoral list

More than 18.12 lakh electors in Telangana are at risk of being removed from the electoral rolls for failing to respond to notices issued during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Hyderabad: As many as 18.12 lakh electors in Telangana risk losing their voting rights as they have yet to respond to notices issued during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

A staggering 92,88,187 notices have been generated during the ongoing SIR process and 92,23,486 notices were served to the voters concerned, leaving 64,701 notices pending, as part of the ongoing SIR exercise. 

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As per the information shared by the Telangana Chief Electoral Office, hearings of 82,11,205 electors have been completed. Of these, 74,62,851 voters have been found eligible for inclusion in the final electoral publication as of Friday. A total of 12,969 electors have been found ineligible and they will be excluded from the final list.

Among the notices served, 18,12,367 electors are yet to respond despite multiple reminders and house visits by the Booth Level Officers (BLOs). This comes even as the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced new measures such as doing away with in-person hearings and house-visits by the BLOs to collect documents and upload them on the ECINet.

Except in circumstances, as decided by the ERO or AERO, hearings will be held, preferably online. Even this will be done through the available and convenient communication modes.

Speaking to Telangana Today, Telangana Chief Electoral Office (CEO) C Sudharsan Reddy said electors who fail to respond to the notices would be categorised under ASDD and would be removed from the final list. 

“Our BLOs are making house visits and completing the process. If an eligible elector is left out, they can enrol again,” he said.

Before the SIR exercise began, Telangana had a total of 3,38,26,448 voters and 2,64,87,213 submitted enumeration forms. A staggering 73,39,235 electors, who were categorised under the Absent, Shifted, Dead and Double votes (ASDD), have already been removed from the draft rolls.

As per the revised schedule, the notice and disposal of claims and objections phase will conclude on November 5. The final electoral rolls will be published on November 9.