Telangana CEO Allows Family Authorisation for Certain Voter Revision Hearings

Voters served notices as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Telangana will not all be required to attend in-person hearings, according to sources from the Telangana Chief Electoral Office in Hyderabad.

Elderly individuals, celebrities, VIPs, industry figures, individuals residing outside the state, and those suffering from chronic health conditions who have been flagged for anomalies or left unmapped in the SIR 2002 list can authorise a family member to represent them during hearings.

Under this provision, the authorised person must present an authorisation letter and original supporting documents before the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs). EROs retain the discretion to grant exemptions and may call for a personal hearing again if they are not satisfied with the submitted documents and responses.

The Telangana Chief Electoral Office identified anomalies, including mismatches in names and incorrect age details between the present and previous revisions, in forms submitted by 60,50,918 voters. Additionally, 32,36,659 electors could not be mapped with the SIR 2002 list.

Out of total 3,38,26,448 electors in the state, 2,64,87,213 submitted enumeration forms, while 73,39,235 fell under the ASDD category. EROs and AEROs have downloaded 75 lakh notices, and over 1.50 lakh notices have already been served to voters by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who collect acknowledgments and take photographs upon delivery.

Among districts, Hyderabad recorded the highest number of voters with anomalies at 6,72,678, followed by Rangareddy with 5,60,201 and Nizamabad with 3,91,453. Medchal-Malkajgiri reported the highest number of unmapped voters at 10,72,599, followed by Rangareddy with 6,72,979 and Hyderabad with 5,80,908.

Electors can resolve anomalies by submitting supporting documents through the voters' portal, the BLO app, or via in-person hearings. For unmapped voters, physical verification with original documents at ERO or AERO offices remains necessary. Authorities are also conducting Grama Sabhas starting August 27 to help electors rectify errors.

The schedule for filing claims and objections on the draft electoral roll continues up to September 16. The notice phase and disposal of claims and objections will run until October 15, leading to the publication of the final electoral roll on October 19.