Mumbai, Oct 2 (PTI) Voters who have been served notices for hearings under the “No Mapping” or “Logical Discrepancy” categories as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls will not be required to appear physically, officials said.
The Booth Level Officer (BLO) will visit the residence of the elector who has received a notice and collect the required documents, based on which the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) will take an appropriate decision, they said.
The electors can also submit the required documents or evidence to the BLO concerned through WhatsApp, the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer said in a statement on Thursday, citing revised instructions from the Election Commission of India,
In cases involving logical discrepancies, the decision will be taken on the basis of documents specifically related to the discrepancy or the verification report/panchnama submitted by the BLO, it said.
Only in exceptional cases, where the prescribed documents are not available, or a decision cannot be taken on the basis of the documents submitted, will the concerned ERO/AERO conduct a hearing, preferably online.
The elector or any adult member of the elector’s family may appear for such a hearing, it said.
The CEO’s office said voters who have received notices can also submit their documents during polling-station-wise special camps scheduled on October 3, 4, 10 and 11 for electoral registration.
Instructions have also been issued to organise special camps and helpdesks for vulnerable groups, including homeless electors, workers, poor persons, members of tribal communities, particularly those belonging to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups, and orphaned persons.
The EROs have been directed to ensure that no eligible elector is deprived of inclusion in the electoral roll, the press note said.
The BLOs will coordinate with Booth Level Agents of political parties for contacting electors and collecting documents, it said.
The CEO’s office appealed to electors to cooperate with BLOs visiting them to collect the required documents. PTI MR NR
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