Pune: The state Chief Electoral Officer’s top representatives have said that both maternal and paternal grandparents’ voter details in the 2002 SIR are equally valid for mapping under the current exercise.The enumeration form mentions that grandparents’ details can be used to link voters, but BLOs on the ground were unsure about the mapping via maternal grandparents.When a resident of Kondhwa attempted to link her son’s voter details with his maternal grandmother during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the booth-level officer was unsure whether the maternal lineage could be used. The voter was told that he would have to come for a hearing.An election official from Maharashtra CEO’s office told TOI both maternal and paternal grandparents’ voter details are acceptable. “Our booth-level officers are recording details from either side, and if any citizen faces difficulty, they should immediately approach the Electoral Registration Officer, who will resolve the issue. There is no problem with forms that have already been distributed or digitised. Election Commission officials had clarified during the Delhi SIR that mapping can be done through either the maternal or paternal lineage. There is no discrimination on this count,” the official said.Sources in the election department said the issue arose in a few isolated instances where field officials were uncertain about the interpretation of the guidelines. BLOs have been told that voter mapping can be carried out using details of grandparents from either side of the family. Civil society groups had said that a uniform interpretation would reduce objections and hearings during the revision exercise.The issue had surfaced during the SIR exercise in Delhi, where some BLOs and their supervisors reportedly refused to accept enumeration forms linked to maternal grandparents. It triggered concerns among citizens, particularly single women, widows and divorced individuals.The Election Commission of India then clarified that there was no distinction between maternal and paternal grandparents for mapping with the 2002 electoral roll and instructed field officers to accept forms linked through either lineage.graphic
