Errors in 2002 voter list hampers mapping ahead of SIR

Nagpur: Many voters in the city are facing challenges while trying to map their EPIC numbers with the 2002 voter list. The situation is causing increasing mental, physical, and financial stress among voters as their or their relatives' names are missing in the 2002 rolls.As per district election officials, voter mapping is yet to gather pace, while hesitant booth level officers (BLOs) are yet to start the exercise in Katol and Saoner assembly constituencies. Authorities have issued them notices following their failure to commence the mapping work. Errors in the voter list and incomplete information provided by BLOs are adding to the difficulties across the city, those involved in the process said.Jafar Nagar resident Mohammad Ziyaullah Khan said awareness about the SIR process remains limited. He noted that despite the help desk facility, lack of proper publicity has affected participation, and many eligible voters are still unaware of the assistance available.Dr Khwaja Izhar Ahmed, city president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) Nagpur, said awareness about voter mapping is low among both educated and uneducated citizens. Many voters are struggling to complete the process due to lack of clarity and guidance, he said.According to JIH, both voters and several BLOs lack proper understanding of the mapping process. If a male voter is unable to locate the names of his father or grandfather for mapping, he is allowed to use his grandmother's voter list. However, this provision is not available to female voters, who are required to rely solely on their father's voter list from 2002.A major concern is that many voters are unable to find their own names, or those of their family members and parents, in the 2002 voter list. In several cases, even the names of neighbours are missing, indicating errors and irregularities in the records. Voters whose parents have passed away, or those unsure about their parents' place of posting as govt employees at a particular time, are also facing serious challenges in completing the mapping process.Additionally, when searching for BLO details using EPIC numbers, voters often find that the BLOs' names and contact numbers are missing. In some instances, BLOs have stated that they have not yet received proper training for the mapping process.There are also complaints that BLOs do not answer phone calls from voters, or their phones remain switched off. In many cases, calls are not returned.Deputy district election officer Rachana Indurkar said the exercise is progressing slowly as many BLOs are yet to fully join the process. "After notices were issued, the work started. So far, around 25% of online mapping has been completed. No final dates have been declared yet, and the timeline may be extended slightly as the process is incomplete across the state. Once all BLOs are on board, we expect to reach around 50–55% and complete the remaining work within the additional time," she said.Multiple SIR Help Desk Centres have been set up, including one at Eidgah Ground in Jafar Nagar, through a joint effort by Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Maharashtra and Naujavane Jafar Nagar to assist voters.