Married Women in Telangana at High Risk of Electoral Roll Omission in Upcoming EC Revision
In Hyderabad, concerns are mounting that married women in Telangana could emerge as one of the most significantly affected groups with names missing from the electoral rolls when the Election Commission of India initiates its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) later this year. Preliminary data from the pre-SIR mapping exercise reveals a stark gender disparity, with more men being successfully mapped compared to women as booth level officers (BLOs) commence comparisons with the 2002 electoral rolls.
Mapping Challenges and Gender Disparities
Among the various demographics, married women are proving exceptionally difficult to track, particularly those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004. The exercise has thus far mapped only 53% of voters overall across Telangana, with a mere 28% completion rate in Hyderabad. Sources indicate that in numerous instances, women are being incorrectly mapped as 'progeny' in their marital households, leading to complex technical complications that hinder accurate registration.
"Puttillu" vs "Mettillu": A Technical Conundrum
According to Election Commission guidelines, married women must be linked to their maternal home (referred to as puttinillu in Telugu) rather than their marital home (mettinillu). Political parties have raised allegations that this directive is disrupting the conventional family mapping approach, where a wife is typically mapped alongside her husband within the same household. Sources attribute this anomaly to a lack of understanding or inadequate training among booth level officers, who are inaccurately associating married women with their marital homes.
Senior officials have clarified that a married woman's vote from the 2002 election rolls will not be located in the same booth or constituency as her current family. This makes it challenging to trace her original vote; if unsuccessful, the names of her parents must be identified, and if they cannot be traced, she is required to produce documents establishing linkages to her maternal home.
Practical Hurdles and Documentation Issues
When the actual SIR exercise commences, expected to begin in Telangana around April or May, women who migrated to other parts of the state after marriage years or decades ago may not have immediate access to electoral details of their parents. If they are not listed in the 2002 rolls and fail to provide progeny linkages, they could receive notices demanding documentation during the SIR process, potentially leading to disenfranchisement.
Political and Technical Responses
AIMIM joint secretary S A Hussain Anwar, in a representation to the Telangana chief electoral officer, highlighted that errors are occurring during progeny mapping of married women. He stated, "Booth level officers are incorrectly linking daughters-in-law to fathers-in-law and wives to husbands, under the mistaken assumption that all members residing in the same household fall within the same progeny category." He emphasized that these relationships do not conform to permissible progeny categories as per Election Commission norms, noting that BLO applications only allow mapping of son, daughter, grandson, and granddaughter as progeny, making such linkages technically invalid.
Telangana chief electoral officer C Sudharshan Reddy provided clarification, asserting that married women cannot be treated as progeny within the husband's family line. He explained, "Sister and brother who are children of a voter are progenies. Married women in their maternal household are not a progeny of electors there. She will be mapped with her parents. Married women below 40 will be linked to parents or, once SIR starts, they will be given the papers to be filled up and submitted with supporting documents." This statement underscores the need for adherence to proper procedures to ensure accurate voter registration and inclusion.
