Telangana SIR: BLOs to collect documents from electors at home
HYDERABAD: The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Telangana has issued revised guidelines for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. According to the guidelines, if a notice has been generated for any elector, the concerned Booth Level Officer (BLO) must visit the residence of such elector, collect the required documents, and upload them on the ECI portal for a decision by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO).
According to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Telangana, C Sudharshan Reddy, such electors need not be called for a hearing at the office of the ERO or AERO. Only in exceptional cases, as determined by the ERO or AERO, will a hearing be scheduled, preferably online through available and convenient communication modes. The relevant software has been updated and enabled to support this process.
Any adult family member may be authorised by the elector to attend a hearing on their behalf, if required. The ERO is responsible for conducting local enquiries and making decisions in cases of genuine and eligible electors who do not possess the required documents.
Transparency measures
The Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines mandate the establishment of an adequate number of helpdesks and the organisation of special camps for residents of night shelters, daily wage labourers, economically disadvantaged persons, and the homeless, as required, to facilitate electors’ participation.
The declaration form attached to Form 6 must be used only during the SIR period, during non-SIR periods, the declaration form is not mandatory. Speaking orders shall be issued only in cases where electors are found ineligible by the ERO or AERO. Special care will be exercised when processing bulk submissions of Form 7.
The status of disposal of notices generated will be displayed daily on the notice boards of the EROs and shared with political parties and the media. Lists of claims and objections in Forms 9, 10, 11, 11A, and 11B will be prepared and exhibited on the notice board each working day. Furthermore, all claims and objections will be published on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer so that citizens can view the lists and submit objections, if any.
