More than 31.6 lakh Delhi voters have received notices during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, but the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer has clarified that receiving a notice does not mean a voter’s name has been removed from the electoral roll.
The clarification followed reports that several prominent people, including former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, had received notices. The Delhi CEO’s office said the notices are being generated where voter records require clarification or correction.
According to the explanation reported by Live Hindustan, the notices are linked to information submitted through enumeration forms and subsequently used to prepare the draft electoral roll. Possible issues include a failure to map a voter’s details with records from an earlier SIR exercise, differences in names, and inconsistencies involving age or family information.
The Times of India, cited in the report, said that more than 31.6 lakh notices had been issued among the 97.5 lakh voters included in the draft SIR list. More than half of the cases reportedly involve what are described as logical discrepancies, such as mismatched names or inconsistencies in age and family details.
The notice gives the concerned voter an opportunity to respond and submit supporting documents before the Electoral Registration Officer. If the information is found to be correct, the record can be amended and the voter’s name can remain on the electoral roll. The report also said that Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta’s record had shown an age-related discrepancy, but verification found the entry valid for inclusion in the final list.
The Delhi CEO has also outlined safeguards for cases where an Electoral Registration Officer believes there are grounds to remove a name. The officer cannot delete the entry directly without issuing a speaking order that sets out the reasons. A person affected by such an order can appeal first to the District Election Officer or District Magistrate and then to the Chief Electoral Officer if dissatisfied with the decision.
Voters who do not find their names in the draft list can participate in the claims and objections process. They can apply for inclusion using Form 6 and submit the required documents. People who have shifted their address within Delhi and did not receive an enumeration form at their previous address can also apply under the prescribed process at their new address.
The Delhi CEO’s office has advised voters to check their records in the previous SIR list from 2002. Those who moved to Delhi from another state after 2002 have been asked to check and retain details from the previous SIR list of their state of origin. The claims, objections and verification process will determine which records are corrected or included in the final electoral roll.
