AAP Alleges Voters Wrongly Marked 'Shifted' in Delhi Electoral Roll Revision
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday alleged that genuine voters in Delhi are being incorrectly marked as “shifted” during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. A delegation led by Delhi AAP president Saurabh Bharadwaj met Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashok Kumar and requested details of such voters to independently verify their status.
Mr. Bharadwaj said that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) had failed to distribute enumeration forms in several unauthorised colonies, villages, and jhuggi-jhopdi (JJ) clusters, despite official claims of near-complete coverage. “A large number of the forms have not been distributed, yet people have been marked as shifted on paper,” he told the CEO.
According to data from the Delhi CEO's office, 99.99% of the enumeration forms have been distributed so far, while 64.39% have been digitised. The party, however, expressed doubts over these figures, with Kondli MLA Kuldeep Kumar alleging that the data does not reflect the ground reality. He claimed that members of nomadic and Scheduled Caste communities have been left out of the exercise. “It is the Election Commission’s responsibility to ensure every eligible person is enrolled as a voter. No one can be deprived of their right to vote,” he said.
The AAP delegation requested the Election Commission (EC) to share the names, addresses, and phone numbers of voters marked as shifted with political parties' Booth Level Agents. This would allow parties to verify by phone whether these voters have actually relocated. Mr. Bharadwaj said the EC accepted this suggestion.
The delegation also raised concerns about migrant tenants from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Haryana, who frequently change rented accommodation within the city and risk being left out of the revision exercise. The AAP leaders questioned what would happen to voters whose names had already been deleted before the SIR and who had not received enumeration forms because they were away when officials visited.
Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha said the party had urged the EC to issue fresh enumeration forms to people incorrectly marked as shifted. “If someone has been wrongly marked as shifted, they should be included in the SIR process,” he said, adding that the Commission had agreed to the demand. The EC, he further noted, told the delegation that cases involving people shifting within the same locality would be addressed during the claims and objections stage.
The Special Intensive Revision is a crucial exercise aimed at updating electoral rolls ahead of elections. The EC has said it is committed to ensuring a transparent and inclusive process, and has invited political parties to share concerns. The acceptance of AAP's suggestions, if implemented, could help enhance the accuracy of the electoral roll and prevent disenfranchisement of eligible voters.
Political observers note that the accuracy of electoral rolls is a key concern in a democracy, and allegations of incorrect deletion or marking of voters can have significant implications. The EC has a mechanism for claims and objections, allowing affected individuals to correct their entries. The onus is on both the election machinery and political parties to ensure that no eligible voter is left out.
As the revision process continues, it remains to be seen how effectively the EC addresses the concerns raised by the AAP and other political parties. Transparency and timely action will be crucial in maintaining public trust in the electoral system.
