India, July 8 -- As the afternoon sun beats down on the narrow lanes of East Delhi's Mayur Vihar Phase 2, Yagyadev Sharma pulls up a bag stuffed with Special Intensive Revision (SIR) forms onto his shoulder and begins another round of house-to-house visits. The Class 11-12 Hindi teacher, who has temporarily traded his classroom for Delhi's crowded neighbourhoods, spends his days supervising 10 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), navigating labyrinthine lanes, tracking down voters and resolving problems that stretch far beyond paperwork.

With Delhi's SIR exercise entering its first week, BLOs deployed across the Capital say they are working from early morning until late at night, grappling with confusing addresses, uncooperative residents, absen...