Hyderabad: Voters who do not return their enumeration forms during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) risk being left out of the draft electoral roll after booth-level officers (BLOs) verify their status (absent, deceased, shifted or duplicate voters). Election authorities, however, say the exclusion is not final and eligible voters can seek inclusion during the claims and objections period.If an enumeration form is not returned, the BLO would make inquiries with nearby residents to ascertain the elector’s status. Those identified as absent, deceased, shifted or duplicate — classified as ASD voters — will not figure in the draft electoral roll scheduled to be published on July 31.The issue assumes significance in urban areas, which have large migrant and floating population. Voters who are away might miss BLO visits or fail to submit the forms within the prescribed period. Experiences during similar exercises in Gujarat and Bihar showed that non-returned forms became a major trigger for scrutiny of voter records.BLOs are required to make at least three visits to every household to distribute and collect the forms. If an elector is away, an adult family member can fill in and sign the form on the elector’s behalf, including for relatives working abroad or in other cities.Claims can be filed till Aug 30Forms can also be submitted through the voters.eci.gov.in portal when the elector’s name in the electoral roll matches the details on Aadhaar card. Those who do not receive forms can contact their BLO or obtain the details through the CEO Telangana website or ECINET app.Telangana chief electoral officer C Sudharshan Reddy said, “If they do not get the enumeration form, they can do it online, and relatives can fill it up for people who are not here.” If the form is neither returned nor submitted online, the prescribed verification process would be followed, he added.TPCC election commission coordination committee chairman P Rajesh Kumar questioned how voters could return forms when BLOs do not visit them. “If enumeration forms are not given to voters, how will they return them? BLOs are not visiting. Those who do not return the forms will be served notices,” he said.Eligible voters left out of the draft roll could file claims between July 31 and Aug 30. Those found eligible will be included in the final electoral roll, scheduled for publication on Oct 1.
