Full Breakdown
Delhi’s Special Intensive Revision: Accelerated Notice Disposal and Ongoing Challenges
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event – Accelerated Disposal of SIR Notices in Delhi
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s office reported that, as of the latest week, 31 % of electors who received notices have been verified and 10.28 lakh notices have been disposed. This follows exemptions from in-person hearings, portal changes, and additional field staff.
Background & Context
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Delhi’s electoral rolls began in June 2024. The draft roll released on August 31 listed 97.5 lakh voters out of an initial 1.45 crore electors. 33.1 lakh electors received notices—13.79 lakh for failure to link to the previous SIR roll and 19.33 lakh for “logical discrepancies.” The exercise aims to remove “uncollectible” entries (?47.5 lakh) and confirm eligibility of the remainder.
Data & Statistics
- Total electors before SIR: 1.45 crore.
- Draft roll size (Aug 31): 97.5 lakh.
- Notices issued: ~33.1 lakh.
- Verified electors (latest week): ~31 % of notice recipients.
- Notices disposed: 10.28 lakh (latest week) vs. 4.01 lakh (Aug 31–Sep 29).
- AEROs: increased from 297 to 902 on Sep 24.
- BLO hearing target: at least 10 per day.
Official Statements & Responses
- The Delhi CEO described the SIR as a “routine exercise” to include eligible citizens and exclude ineligible ones.
- An Electoral Registration Officer noted that the new ECINET portal allows officials to clear notices without a hearing when documentation is satisfactory.
- The Election Commission announced portal upgrades on Sep 26, adding a dialogue box that lets EROs mark voters as eligible without documents or a scheduled hearing.
- The Additional Chief Electoral Officer directed all 13 District Election Officers to organise special enrolment camps across polling stations and colleges.
Criticism & Opposition
Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) expressed frustration with the deadline extension to Nov 30 for disposing of notices, claims, and objections. One BLO, who also teaches, said the timeline forces a balance between school duties and door-to-door collection. Another BLO argued that centralised hearing locations are sometimes more practical due to inaccurate addresses.
On-the-Ground Reports
Field observations in Kirari, Govindpuri, Shalimar Bagh, and CC Colony reveal uneven coverage. Tenants often lack landlord consent to use a Delhi address, leading to exclusion despite Aadhaar cards. Residents reported repeated BLO visits, while others received none. In one lane, registered voters fell from 1,300 to 900, with verification of about 600 completed and 300 pending.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Notice disposal figures: Indianexpress data cites 10.28 lakh cleared, whereas a report referenced by CnbcTV18 indicates fewer than five lakh of the 33.1 lakh cases have been completed.
- Final roll publication: The CEO’s schedule sets the final roll release for Oct 7, but no updated figure on total eligible voters has been released.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We have been living here for years, but because we are tenants, we cannot use the address without the owner’s consent.” — Ashish
- “They can use the ECI net to upload their documents or hand it over to BLOs either by hand or through any messaging platform,” — the official
What’s Next
- Special enrolment camps on Oct 4 and 11 at polling stations and Oct 7 and 8 at colleges/universities.
- Deadline for disposing of all notices, claims, and objections: Nov 30.
- Final electoral roll scheduled for publication on Nov 16.
These steps aim to conclude the SIR while addressing the documented challenges faced by voters and field officers.