Delhi to get 1,914 new polling booths as EC sets 1,200 voter limit per booth
The Election Commission has approved an increase in the number of polling booths in Delhi from 13,033 to 14,947, following a rationalisation exercise aimed at limiting the number of electors at each booth to 1,200. The decision, announced by Chief Electoral Officer Ashok Kumar's office, will be reflected in the upcoming draft electoral roll.
The rationalisation was undertaken in line with the Election Commission's directive to reduce the permissible ceiling of electors per booth from 1,500 to 1,200, a move intended to make voting more convenient. The draft electoral roll is expected to be published a week after the special intensive revision (SIR) enumeration concluded on August 17. The SIR is a periodic exercise to update the electoral roll with additions, deletions, and corrections.
According to data accessed by The Hindu, 5,480 of the existing 13,033 booths had more than 1,200 electors, necessitating the creation of additional booths. Among the 13 districts, South East Delhi recorded the highest increase with 325 additional booths, followed by North East Delhi (244), South Delhi (243) and East Delhi (200). The number of booth locations—buildings or premises housing polling stations—rose from 2,696 to 2,856. Many of these locations, such as schools and government buildings, house multiple polling stations in separate rooms, an official explained.
The rationalisation process began with physical verification of all polling stations by senior officers appointed by the respective District Election Officers (DEOs). Electors from booths exceeding the 1,200 limit were shifted to adjacent or newly created booths to comply with the ceiling. The exercise was initially scheduled to finish alongside the enumeration phase on August 17 but was extended after the CEO sought additional time to complete the task and ensure accuracy.
As part of the consultation process, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) held meetings at the assembly constituency level and District Election Officers at the district level with recognised political parties to seek their suggestions. The final rationalisation proposal was submitted for approval on August 21. For nearly 240 polling stations where alternative locations could not be identified, EROs were instructed to provide tentative elector numbers after accounting for deletions in the 'absent', 'shifted', 'dead', 'duplicate' and 'others' categories from the electoral roll.
The announcement comes as the Election Commission moves to improve voter experience by reducing overcrowding and waiting times at polling stations. The draft electoral roll will contain names of approximately 97.5 lakh electors out of the total 1.45 crore, representing 67.2 per cent, according to the release. Once published, the draft roll will be available for public scrutiny, allowing citizens to file claims and objections before the final roll is prepared.
The rationalisation is expected to benefit voters by ensuring easier access and shorter queues on polling day, particularly in densely populated districts. With the new configuration, Delhi will have a more evenly distributed electorate across its 14,947 booths, aligning with the Election Commission's goal of efficient and voter-friendly elections.
