New Delhi, Aug. 31 -- Delhi's electoral map has undergone a major shake-up, with nearly one in every three names on the existing voter list failing to make it to the draft electoral roll released on Monday following the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). As many as 47,56,722 names are missing from the draft list, accounting for nearly 33 per cent of the 1,45,10,299 electors on the roll when the exercise began, although the Election Commission has clarified that the omission is not necessarily final.
The SIR began on June 30 with 1,45,10,299 electors. During the house-to-house enumeration, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) distributed forms to all voters and by August 17 had received and digitised forms from 97,53,577 electors, or 67.22 per cent.
The 47,56,722 excluded names comprise 43,32,775 electors classified as permanently shifted, absent or under "Others", 2,82,412 deceased and 1,41,535 found enrolled at multiple places. Officials said the first category includes people who moved to another state/UT, could not be located, failed to submit forms by the deadline or did not wish to remain enrolled.
An official said eligible voters still have an opportunity to return to the roll: "People who believe they are eligible can apply through Form 6. They still have time."
Claims and objections can be filed from August 31 to September 30. Form 6, with the prescribed declaration and supporting documents, can be submitted through BLOs, EROs and AEROs or online via the Election Commission's voter services portal and ECINET app. Form 6A is for overseas Indian electors, Form 7 for objections/deletion and Form 8 for shifting residence, corrections, EPIC replacement and PwD marking.
The CEO's office said deletion cannot be arbitrary: the ERO/AERO must issue notice, conduct an inquiry and give the elector an opportunity to be heard before passing a speaking order.
The draft has 49,88,993 male, 47,64,137 female and 447 third-gender electors, including 1,03,870 aged 18-19, 40,871 aged 85-plus and 189 aged over 100.
Rohini recorded the highest digitisation rate at 83.43 per cent and Tughlakabad the lowest at 52.15 per cent. Matiala has the largest electorate at 3,33,057, while Delhi Cantt has the smallest at 41,654.
Polling-station rationalisation reduced the voter ceiling from 1,500 to 1,200 per station, raising polling stations from 13,033 to 14,947 and locations from 2,696 to 2,856.
The exercise involved 13,033 BLOs. Political parties appointed 33,226 Booth Level Agents: BJP 12,788, Congress 10,772, AAP 9,462, BSP 128 and CPI(M) 76, up from 17,626 at the start.
AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal criticised the scale of exclusions, saying such an exercise, if replicated nationally, could drastically reduce the effective voter population.
The CEO's office said SIR is aimed at ensuring eligible citizens are retained while deceased, shifted and duplicate entries are identified. Booth-wise exclusion lists have been displayed at ERO/AERO offices and polling stations and uploaded online.
The notice and disposal process will continue till October 29, with the final electoral roll due on November 4. Citizens turning 18 on or before October 1, 2026, have also been encouraged to apply through Form 6. Helpdesks, the 1950 helpline, IT support, grievance cells and awareness campaigns have been deployed to assist voters.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.