Replied to SIR notice in Hyderabad? What happens next

Members of civil society organisations and social activists in Telangana have urged election officials to inform voters if any document or explanation is found insufficient.

Hyderabad: In the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Hyderabad, many electors are responding to their notices by submitting relevant documents. However, many are in a dilemma about what will happen after submitting the documents.

Verification of documents

Speaking to Siasat.com, Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) of Bahadurpura Assembly Constituency said that in case of anomaly cases, the documents will be verified and approved by AEROs or EROs. However, in the no-mapping cases, the software will automatically forward the documents to the District Election Officer (DEO), who needs to verify the documents submitted against the notice.

Sharing his experience about the ground reality at the hearing centres, he said that many electors are not coming as per the schedule specified in the notices. “However, we are accepting documents and conducting hearings to ensure that no eligible voter is left out,” he added.

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On the acknowledgement that needs to be issued to the electors upon attending the hearings, he said that it is being given, mentioning the documents submitted against the notice.

Maternal grandparents valid for SIR

Though it was cleared by the Election Commission of India (ECI) multiple times that 2002 SIR details of both paternal and maternal grandparents are valid, there exists confusion at some BLO levels.

Giving clarification on it, the AERO said that though both paternal and maternal grandparents’ details are valid for SIR, electors are opting for the paternal side as providing it becomes easier. “However, if someone links with maternal grandparents, it is valid”, he added.

The same was also clarified recently by ECI officials.

“Parents or grandparents should be Indian nationals; whether maternal or paternal is immaterial,” ECI officials said.

Even in other states across India, the details of both maternal and paternal are being accepted. The same is also reflected in the BLO app when viewed in Hindi, as it mentions, ‘Dada, Dadi or Nana, Nani’.

Another AERO from the same Assembly constituency also said that the details of both maternal and paternal remain valid. He said that in case of difficulties at the hearing centres, AERO, BLO supervisor, and BLOs will be present to help electors.

Recently, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, explaining the documents needed for SIR notices, also mentioned both maternal and paternal grandparents.

Rescheduling of hearing

In some Assembly constituencies, the hearings of the electors are being rescheduled in case of a lack of documents.

A report in The Times of India quoted Nalla Venkata Reddy, Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Medchal Constituency, saying that about 50 per cent of hearings are getting postponed so that voters can get time to submit the required documents.

Meanwhile, the members of civil society organisations and social activists in Telangana have urged election officials to inform voters if any document or explanation is found insufficient during the SIR notice hearing and allow them to submit additional documents or clarifications before any adverse decision is taken ahead of the final publication of the electoral roll.