Hyderabad: The Masjide Azizia in Humayunnagar once again reaffirmed its role as more than a place of worship. Amidst growing public anxiety over the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, it emerged as a platform for community outreach.
The widespread apprehension about the exercise prompted the mosque to organise an awareness workshop the other day. Scores of worshippers stayed back after Maghrib namaz to listen to an informative session by members of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR). The interaction reflected the unease among ordinary voters who fear that procedural lapses may eventually cost them their voting rights.
Although SIR has not yet been formally notified in Telangana, the voter list mapping exercise has already begun. Activists cautioned that deficiencies at this preliminary stage could have serious consequences once the draft SIR rolls are published.
Abdul Mujeeb Ayub, District Coordinator of APCR’s Karimnagar chapter, said that if the mapping exercise is carried out properly, nearly 80 per cent of voters can be linked to legacy data. However, ground realities tell a different story. Explaining the problems being faced in Karimnagar, he said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been given access only to the 2002 SIR voter lists restricted to their current polling jurisdictions.
“This ignores the fact that many electors no longer reside in the same constituencies where they were enrolled in 2002,” Ayub said. Migration, renumbering of houses, urban expansion and reorganisation of constituencies have made it difficult for both BLOs and voters to trace old records. As a result, genuine and eligible voters are struggling to locate their electoral details, leading to confusion and distress.
He also pointed out that areas which were part of the undivided Andhra Pradesh but now fall in present-day Andhra Pradesh pose a unique problem. Now, Telangana-specific data alone is available, leaving no mechanism to verify or retrievethe 2002 SIR records of such electors. This has added to the uncertainty for voters and field-level officials alike.
Serious procedural errors have also been reported in progeny and self-progeny mapping. In several instances, BLOs have incorrectly linked daughters-in-law to fathers-in-law or husbands to wives, assuming that all members of a household fall under the progeny category. Such relationships are not permissible under the rules. Compounding the problem, many BLOs, burdened with multiple responsibilities, are unable to conduct proper door-to-door surveys.
Technical and infrastructural challenges are further hampering the process, particularly in rural areas. Many BLOs are using outdated mobile handsets, often plagued by functional issues, poor network coverage and unreliable data connectivity. The BLO apps, participants were told, frequently fail to display voter details even after correct EPIC numbers are entered. In some cases, the app wrongly shows that a voter has already been mapped by another BLO when no such mapping has actually occurred.
Ayub said APCR has raised these concerns with the Chief Electoral Officer, who has taken note of the issues. He urged people to download the ECI Net app and regularly verify their voter details.
Secretary of APCR, Dr Shaikh Mohd Osman, said voter revision is usually carried out once every ten years, but this time it is being termed a “Special Intensive Revision,” creating fear even among long-time voters. “Even those who have voted for decades are now being forced to navigate an entirely new system,” he said.
Citing examples from other states, Dr Osman said that in Bihar alone, the names of 67 lakh voters were struck off, while in Uttar Pradesh nearly 2.9 crore voters are expected to face deletion. He expressed concern that even educated citizens remain largely unaware of the implications of SIR.
More than 70 per cent of people, he said, do not possess the documents being sought by the Election Commission. Aadhaar is not accepted as it proves residence, not citizenship. Tribals, migrant workers and those living in rented accommodation are among the worst affected.
The APCR members appealed to educated youth to come forward and volunteer their services to help safeguard the voting rights of vulnerable sections. Timely awareness and collective effort are crucial to prevent disenfranchisement, they said. Voting is a democratic right and its denial may put a question mark on one’s citizenship, they said and urged people to take the matter seriously.
For clarification, people may reach out to the helpline: 7702065790/ 7013412071.
Source link
-
-
-
-
-
