Lakhs of voters in Hyderabad may receive verification notices as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls after authorities identified a large number of discrepancies during the pre-enumeration process. According to Telangana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) C. Sudharshan Reddy, nearly 88 lakh anomalies have already been detected across the state, and the figure is expected to cross one crore once the enumeration exercise is completed. Since most of these irregularities have been found in urban areas, Hyderabad is expected to account for a significant share of the notices.
Election officials are examining various types of anomalies, including mismatches in names, unusual age differences between family members, multiple voters linked to a single individual in the 2002 electoral rolls, and inconsistencies in family mapping. Every voter has been issued a personalised enumeration form containing pre-filled details such as name, address, photograph and Booth Level Officer (BLO) information. Those who were enrolled in the 2002 electoral roll must provide their earlier voter details, while others need to furnish details of their parents who were registered at that time. If these details are unavailable, voters can still submit the form with current information and may later be asked to provide supporting documents.
The CEO clarified that no voter’s name can be deleted from the electoral roll without the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) first issuing a formal notice and providing an opportunity to respond. He also stated that people without birth certificates or school records can submit other available identity documents, excluding Aadhaar, during the verification process. Documents such as ration cards, driving licences and permanent residence certificates may also be considered on a case-by-case basis by the ERO. Officials stressed that the objective is to retain all eligible voters in the electoral rolls, with action being taken only in cases where serious discrepancies cannot be satisfactorily resolved.
