Telangana: Election Commission extends SIR deadline till Aug 10
Hyderabad, July 31
The Election Commission of India on Friday extended the deadline for submitting enumeration forms under the Special Intensive Revision till August 10.
Revising the SIR schedule for the second time, the poll panel extended the last date for submitting filled‑in enumeration forms from August 3 to August 10. It also extended the rationalisation and rearrangement of polling stations from August 3 to August 10.
The draft publication of rolls has been extended to August 17, and the period of filing claims and objections will now be from August 17 to September 16. The notice phase (disposal of claims and objections) will be from August 17 to October 15. The final publication of rolls is scheduled for October 19.
The Election Commission had earlier revised the schedule on July 15. As per the schedule announced in May, the house‑to‑house enumeration exercise by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) was scheduled from June 25 to July 24. The draft electoral roll was to be published on July 31, with the final electoral rolls on October 1.
Meanwhile, as per the status report on SIR on Friday (July 31), the BLOs have achieved 100 per cent distribution of enumeration forms.
According to Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudharshan Reddy, enumeration forms have been distributed to all 3,38,26,004 voters. The election officials have so far digitised 77.12 per cent (2,60,88,334) of the enumeration forms.
With over 77 lakh voters yet to submit their forms, the election authorities have given them another chance by extending the deadline by a week.
In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, nearly 45 lakh voters have been deleted from the roll as the Election Commission on Friday published the draft voter list following the SIR.
According to Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Yadav, deleted names include 22.30 lakh who had permanently shifted or were found absent. Names of as many as 15.22 lakh deceased have also been deleted, while 7.37 lakh voters were found enrolled at multiple places.
As on July 24, out of 4,16,27,694 electors, a total of 3,71,38,182 electors have submitted their enumeration forms. BLOs did not find the remaining electors (44.89 lakh) or did not get back their enumeration forms because they became electors in other states or J&K, or were not found in existence, or did not submit the form till July 24, or were not willing to register as an elector for some reason or other.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally some relief for voters! I know many elderly people in my colony who were struggling to get their forms filled. But I hope the Election Commission also ensures that the digitisation process is completed smoothly. 77% digitised so far, hope they finish the rest soon.
The Andhra Pradesh numbers are concerning though - 45 lakh voters deleted? That's huge! Some might be duplicates, but I worry about genuine voters being removed. The EC needs to be extra careful during the claims and objections period so that no one is disenfranchised. 🤔
As someone working in a government office, I know how difficult it is to coordinate such a massive exercise. Extending the deadline is practical. But the EC should also consider setting up more help desks at common places like ration shops and banks to help those who still haven't submitted their forms.
This is good, but I have to point out - why does the Election Commission keep revising the schedule? The original plan had final rolls by October 1, now it's October 19. Every delay causes confusion among voters and political parties. We need a more stable election timeline. 🙄
Appreciate the EC's flexibility here. With over 77 lakh forms still pending, they couldn't have just stuck to the old deadline. Also, glad to see the house-to-house enumeration achieved 100% distribution - that's hard work by the BLOs. The whole process needs patience and cooperation from citizens.
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