BLOs Rush to Complete Task of Collecting SIR Documents

Hyderabad:With less than a week left for the period of ‘filing claims and objections’ (October 7), the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) rush to collect documents for SIR notices across Telangana. If a voter cannot visit physically to booths, the voter is being urged to at least send digital copies of relevant documents, through their smartphones.

In wake of ECI guidelines and Telangana CEO’s instructions that BLOs should visit the houses of voters to collect documents, the ground staff have ramped up their efforts. Some BLOs have increased phone calls and visiting multiple times to households who have already received notices.

“In my booth, a total of 213 notices were served. While all of them received the notices, copies and submitted the relevant documents, about six per cent are yet to submit theirs. We are regularly visiting the households to convince them and calling them to complete the task to ensure their vote remains intact,” said N Santosh Kumar, a BLO of Bagh-e-Jahara, under Malakpet constituency

On September 28, Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy directed the officials to make the collection process easy, by not insisting voters on visiting ERO or AERO offices for hearing. “Only in exceptional circumstances, as decided by the ERO, the hearing will be held, preferably online. Any adult member of the family can be authorised by the elector to attend the hearing on their behalf. Facilities for the online hearing to be strengthened,” the memo issued by the CEO reads.

In Hyderabad district, where about 70 per cent of hearing is completed, the EROs are closely monitoring the situation on ground. “Despite the issues like remaining voters not responding properly to calls by BLOs, we are making sure they submit their documents, even if it is online. Now the process has become much more flexible, as the authorities have done with ‘hearing’, except for some cases. We are asking them to submit digital copies through Whatsapp. BLO will take print out of them and attach to their notice copy,” informed an ERO.

Notices generated: 92,88,180

Notices delivered: 88,96,846

Notices pending for delivery: 3,91,334

Hearings held: 63,99,402

Verification by DEOs: 12,12,625

Voters found eligible for final publication: 51,86,777

SIR schedule in Telangana

Period of filing claims & objections: Aug 17-Oct 7

Notice phase / disposal of claims & objections: Aug 17–Nov 5

Publication of final electoral Roll: Nov. 9