Church Help Desks Guide Hyderabad Voters Through SIR

Christian and Catholic organisations have set up help desks across Hyderabad to assist voters during the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral roll. According to Deepak John, chairman of the Christian Minority Commission, about 50 coordinators from professional backgrounds have been deployed after undergoing training on the SIR process.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Hyderabad, All India Peoples Mission and the Telangana Council of Churches were among those organising the help desks.

Volunteers said many voters had not received enumeration forms as booth-level officers (BLOs) were visiting homes during office hours when a large section of the working population is unavailable. Working people constitute nearly 80 per cent of the electorate, a volunteer said.

They also flagged language barriers and limited access to assistance.

“The enumeration forms should have been bilingual, as many voters find it difficult to read or understand Telugu. The ECI should establish more help desks, since a single centre for an entire constituency is inadequate.”

Samson Suryakanth, a volunteer, said teams were visiting churches to assist voters and address common issues. “Many voters cannot find their names on the rolls after relocating for work, marriage or personal reasons, as they no longer remember the door numbers linked to their earlier registration.

He added, “In many areas, door numbers changed years ago, causing confusion among voters who cannot recall addresses recorded two decades earlier. Many slum residents also do not know how to locate their names on the rolls, while overburdened BLOs have little time to help them complete the enumeration forms.”

Jennifer Arland, volunteer, pointed to issues with older voter lists. “Many names are misspelt in the 2002 electoral rolls, making it difficult for voters to trace their records. Several elderly voters are also missing from the current rolls, while their voter IDs appear as invalid on the ECI website, forcing them to register afresh.”

Mary Dias, Archdiocese SIR coordinator, AIPM Telangana, said volunteers were assisting alongside their regular work.

“All our volunteers are professionals who have taken time out from their regular jobs to help people complete this crucial process. SIR is about safeguarding every citizen’s voting rights. We appeal to all eligible voters to submit their forms with the required documents so that no one loses the right to vote."

Korani Yesu Das, secretary coordination, Centenary Methodist Church, said the help desks had assisted several citizens.

“The help desk at our church assisted several citizens, particularly senior citizens, in clearing their doubts, retrieving their forms and completing them.”

Robert Surya Prakash Rao of the Telangana Council of Churches said, “These help desks are drawing many voters and providing them with much-needed assistance.”