Delhi minister Parvesh Verma has defended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the city’s electoral rolls, saying voters who receive notices will have an opportunity to respond before the final voter list is published on November 4.
Verma said voters issued notices over incomplete or discrepant information in their electoral records or documents can submit their replies to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) until September 30. The responses will then be examined until October 29, after which the final electoral roll is scheduled to be released.
Speaking to ANI, Verma said the Election Commission was following a transparent and impartial process and that notices were being issued to voters whose information or supporting documents required clarification. He said the notice process was not, by itself, an order removing a person’s name from the electoral roll.
“Many organisations and opposition parties have repeatedly questioned the SIR process being conducted across the country,” Verma said, adding that the commission asks voters to provide clarification when information in the voter list or documents is incomplete. He described this as a routine process and said notices had been issued to both ordinary residents and high-profile individuals in Delhi.
The minister also criticised the Aam Aadmi Party, opposition parties and organisations questioning the revision exercise. He appealed to leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Saurabh Bharadwaj, not to create doubts about the Election Commission among voters. His comments come amid political criticism of the notices and concerns over how the revision could affect names on the electoral roll.
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer had earlier clarified that receiving a notice during the SIR process does not mean that a voter’s name will automatically be deleted. The CEO said no name could be removed without giving the voter an opportunity to present their case and passing a proper, reasoned and appealable order.
For voters, the process therefore involves three distinct stages: responding to a notice by September 30, examination of the response by October 29, and publication of the final list on November 4. The minister said voters whose names do not appear in the final roll would still be able to file objections through the prescribed procedure after publication.
The deadlines make the notice-response stage significant for residents whose electoral details or documents have been flagged. The available report does not specify the total number of notices issued in Delhi or the constituency-wise distribution of affected voters. The next formal milestone is the September 30 deadline for submitting responses to the relevant ERO.
