ECI Begins Deleting ‘Ineligible’ Votes, Clarity Lacking On Orders
About 2,800 votes now stand deleted and may not find place in the final voter list: Reports
HYDERABAD: Even as close to 12 lakh voters are yet to receive SIR notices in Telangana from among 93 lakh flagged by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the poll authority has begun clearing ‘ineligible’ votes at the electoral registration officer (ERO) level.
About 2,800 votes now stand deleted and may not find place in the final voter list if district election officers (DEO) and the chief electoral officer (CEO) endorse the ERO’s decision. However, higher officials remain unclear if ‘speaking orders’ were served to voters losing their votes during the ongoing claims and objections period.
According to sources, those who failed to substantiate their claims with ECI‑specified documents were categorised as ‘ineligible’. In Hyderabad district there are fewer than 100 (51), while Peddapalli has 196, Sangareddy 211, Rangareddy 354 and Medchal‑Malkajgiri tops with 1,411.
By Saturday, over 80 lakh notices had been served from the 93 lakh flagged voters after anomalies were identified. Nearly 59 lakh completed the hearing and were ‘parked’ as voters to be published in the final list.
“Most anomalies are spelling mistakes, about 70 to 80 per cent, while the rest are age gaps and logical discrepancies in progeny mapping. Districts like Hyderabad have common issues such as less than nine months’ gap between siblings. Mostly these families received notices owing to BLO errors during the 2002 SIR,” sources explained.
Officials clarified that deletion of a vote by an ERO must be accompanied by a speaking order, providing reasons. As per ECI directions, EROs conduct hearings similar to a court after serving notices, verify documents and then decide. Reasons for rejection must be recorded, and action can be initiated against an ERO in case of mischief. Appeals can be made to the Collector and CEO.
However, Deccan Chronicle found no clarity on whether proper ECI guidelines were followed in deleting the 2,800 votes. Higher officials could not confirm if procedures were observed and voters notified.
