HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Electoral Officer C Sudharshan Reddy on Friday urged the 73,39,235 voters whose names had been placed in the Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) categories to take advantage of the fresh opportunity provided by the ECI to get their names included in the final voter list.
The CEO appealed to eligible voters whose names were excluded from the draft electoral roll published on August 17 to approach the concerned election authorities for assistance. The process of verification and inclusion of eligible electors in the final electoral roll is scheduled to be completed by November 21.
According to sources, there were a total of 3,38,26,448 electors in Telangana before the launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Of these, 2,64,87,213 names were included in the draft electoral roll, while 73,39,235 electors were categorised as ASDD — 57,46,803 marked as absent or shifted, 9,22,229 as dead and 6,70,203 as duplicate entries.
Officials, meanwhile, maintained that the categorisation was carried out after house-to-house visits and verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), ensuring that names were not excluded arbitrarily. Electors were also given an opportunity to file claims and objections following the publication of the draft roll. Special camps were subsequently organised on October 15 and 16 to facilitate the inclusion of eligible voters and ensure that ineligible entries were not retained.
Under the latest ECI directions, booth-wise lists of electors categorised as ASDD, whose enumeration forms (EFs) were not received and whose names were consequently omitted from the draft roll will be displayed afresh on the notice boards of the respective polling stations. The lists, along with the probable reasons for non-inclusion will also be uploaded on the CEO’s website.
The election machinery has been directed to make renewed efforts to contact such electors and facilitate the submission of their enumeration forms, either physically or online wherever contact details are available. Electors can download or fill in their forms through the CEO’s website or ECINET app by entering the same EPIC number that they had before their names were deleted.
The BLOs have been instructed to coordinate with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of political parties and undertake house-to-house visits to trace the electors. They have also been asked to make enquiries with family members, neighbours and Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), besides using available contact numbers wherever feasible. The BLOs will guide electors on the procedure and different modes of submitting their forms.
Electors who shifted residence need to submit Form 8
Electors who have not shifted their residence can submit duly filled-in and signed enumeration forms, along with a statement explaining why they could not submit the forms earlier, to the concerned Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) or BLO.
The forms can be submitted personally or through family members. An online submission facility with e-sign will also be made available through ECINET. In cases where electors have shifted their residence within Telangana, they need not submit Form 8. Instead, they can submit the enumeration form along with a signed statement mentioning their new address and Assembly constituency.
The application, along with address proof, can be submitted by a family member to the ERO/AERO concerned in the Assembly constituency to which the elector has shifted. They can also approach the BLO of their new polling area for assistance. The ECI has advised electors to contact their respective BLOs for assistance in getting their names included in the final electoral roll. They can also call the voter helpline number 1950 for information and guidance.