Hyderabad: More than two lakh voters in Telangana have reportedly received notices under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls without a reason being specified, according to an analysis cited by The Hindu.
The analysis by the Sabar Institute and Constitutional Guardians Forum records 2,01,249 voters, or around 2.2 per cent of Telangana’s electorate, under the category “Reason Not Recorded”.
According to the report, none of the voters in this category is below 35 years of age. The youngest voter listed is reportedly 35, while the most common age group is between 42 and 50 years, with the median age at 52.
The voters are spread across the State, with at least one such name reportedly appearing in 30,971 of Telangana’s 36,169 polling booths. The analysis therefore questions whether the blank reason field is limited to isolated documentation errors.
Lead researcher Sabir Ahamed said the absence of reasons indicates a possible gap between the electoral roll data and the notices served to voters. He also suggested that a printing or computer-related error could be one explanation, but questioned why the pattern appears concentrated among voters aged 35 and above.
Why SIR notices are issued
Data released by the Telangana Chief Electoral Officer reportedly shows that 92,85,255 notices have been issued during the SIR exercise.
Of these, 32,37,825 voters, or 34.9 per cent, are listed as unmapped. Another 25,97,790 cases, or 28 per cent, involve a mismatch in the parent’s name.
The data also includes 11,14,659 cases involving mismatched voter names, 9,76,036 cases involving a parent-age difference of less than 15 years, and 7,08,896 cases involving a progeny age gap of less than nine months.
The analysis cited by The Hindu says the concentration of “Reason Not Recorded” cases among voters aged 35 and above requires further clarification. Ahamed said the available data does not identify the specific rule or criterion that resulted in these voters being placed in the category.
The findings are based on an analysis by the cited organisations, and the reason for the age pattern or blank fields would require clarification from the election authorities.
