Hyderabad voter’s name missing from 2002 roll sparks SIR concerns

For Mohd Aslam, a long-time resident of Nawab Sahab Kunta in Hyderabad’s Old City, the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has become a source of constant anxiety. 

Despite possessing multiple government-issued identity documents and having voted for decades, he is now struggling to establish continuity of his electoral record because his name is missing from the 2002 voter list.

Originally from Uttar Pradesh, Aslam migrated to Hyderabad several decades ago in search of a livelihood. He says he cast his first vote in Hyderabad in 1989 while residing at Gulab Singh Bowli. Over



the years, he obtained a ration card in 1995, a voter identity card in 2006, and also holds a valid Indian passport. His name continues to figure in the current electoral roll.

His ordeal began during the SIR exercise when he discovered that his name was absent from the 2002 electoral roll, a document many applicants are relying upon to establish continuity of voter registration.

For the past two weeks, Aslam has been visiting government offices and voter assistance booths across the Old City seeking a solution. Despite repeated visits, he says no official has been able to tell him how to rectify the discrepancy.