Delhi's draft electoral roll: Who is in, who faces verification, and what voters must do next

The enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi concluded on August 17 after two extensions, setting the stage for the publication of the draft electoral roll on August 31. The exercise, which spanned 49 days, witnessed confusion among voters, low awareness, and conflicting instructions to Booth Level Officers (BLOs). As a result, Delhi's 1.45 crore electors now fall into distinct categories based on whether their enumeration forms were collected and verified, whether their details could be linked to the previous SIR roll, and whether discrepancies were found.

According to the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's office, 97.51 lakh voters (67.1% of the electorate) will figure in the draft roll. This includes over 33 lakh voters whose documents may be scrutinised because their details were either not mapped to previous rolls or flagged for anomalies. The remaining 47.56 lakh entries (32.8%) have been categorised as Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate, and 'Others' (ASDDO). These names will not appear in the draft at this stage and face the risk of exclusion from the final roll.

Officials note that 100% of the enumeration forms were distributed among the city's 1,45,0299 electors, with 13,033 BLOs and over 39,000 party-appointed Booth Level Agents involved. The onus of proving eligibility now lies with the voter. BLOs reported difficulties in mapping voters—especially migrants—with previous rolls, often due to voter apathy or lack of awareness. Of the mapped voters, 57.69% were linked to the Delhi SIR roll of 2002, while 9.50% were not mapped at all.

Delhi is set to record the highest draft-stage deletions among major cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad. This has raised concerns about potential disenfranchisement, though election officials assert that due process will be followed.

Voters whose names appear in the draft roll do not need to be 'mapped' to be included. Even if a voter could not establish a link to a previous roll, they may still appear in the draft if they submitted the enumeration form with their current EPIC details, a passport-sized photograph, and a signature—either to a BLO, a Voter Service Centre, or through the online portal. However, such unmapped voters will receive notices to appear before the Election Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Registration Officers (AEROs) of their constituency for a hearing between August 31 and October 29.

For the 47.56 lakh voters in the ASDDO category, no individual notices will be served at this stage. Their names will be excluded from the draft roll. If an elector whose name was in the roll frozen on June 16 does not find their name in the draft, they should check the separate ASDDO list, which is expected to be published a few days before the draft roll is released. Election officials have not set a deadline for objections or claims beyond the prescribed legal timeline.

The SIR process is part of a nationwide effort to clean electoral rolls. However, the complexity of the exercise in Delhi—marked by a high migrant population and a dense urban electorate—has underscored the need for better communication and simpler procedures. As the draft roll is published, voters are advised to verify their details online using their EPIC number and to participate in the hearings if summoned.