New Delhi, Sept. 18 -- With just 12 days left for the claims and objections window under Delhi's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the response to the draft roll remains a key focus, with 73,496 applications for inclusion received since August 31 against 47,56,722 electors whose enumeration forms were not received during the revision exercise.

According to the latest status report issued by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi, 99,787 applications across different categories were received between August 31 and September 17. These comprise 73,496 Form 6 applications, 1,035 Form 7 applications, 25,103 Form 8 applications and 153 Form 6A applications.

The numbers offer a measure of the response so far. The 73,496 Form 6 applications amount to around 1.55 per cent of the 47.56 lakh electors whose names were left out of the draft roll. Even if all categories of applications are taken together, the figure of 99,787 is around 2.1 per cent of the excluded-elector figure.

However, the two figures represent different stages and categories of the SIR process and cannot be treated as a one-to-one comparison. Not every elector whose enumeration form was not received would necessarily have to file a fresh Form 6, while the claims period also covers corrections, objections and other categories of applications.

The district-wise figures show considerable variation in the number of Form 6 applications received since August 31. West recorded the highest number at 9,245, followed by North West at 7,527, East at 7,315, South East at 7,184 and North East at 6,594. At the other end, New Delhi recorded 1,369 applications, while Old Delhi recorded 3,106.

The Form 8 numbers also indicate that the claims window is being used substantially for changes to existing entries. A total of 25,103 Form 8 applications have been received, with North East recording the highest district-wise figure at 3,058, followed by East at 2,875 and West at 2,589.

Delhi had 1,45,10,299 electors before the SIR exercise. Enumeration forms were received for 97,53,577 electors, resulting in the draft roll published on August 31, while 47,56,722 electors were left out of the draft.

However, the scale of the gap means that a significant increase in outreach could be required if a larger proportion of the excluded electorate is to return to the process. Even if 10 percent of the 47,56,722 electors left out of the draft were to seek inclusion, that would amount to around 4.76 lakh applications, requiring an average of nearly 39,600 Form 6 applications a day during the remaining 12 days. With September 30 as the deadline, the CEO has scheduled special camps at all polling station locations on September 20 and 27. Electors whose names are missing can submit Form 6 with the prescribed declaration and supporting documents, while Form 8 can be used for shifting or modification of

existing entries. Claims and objections received by September 30 will be disposed of by October 29, with the final electoral roll scheduled to be published on November 4.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.