Delhi SIR: Poll Officials Begin Reverification of Voters Removed From Draft Rolls

Delhi Begins Reverification of Over 47 Lakh Voters

Election officials in Delhi have launched a reverification exercise covering more than 47 lakh voters whose names were omitted from the draft electoral rolls published on August 31, 2026, as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ashok Kumar announced the move on Friday, October 16, saying booth-level officers had been instructed to recheck voters whose names did not appear in the draft lists after the enumeration phase.

The exercise follows complaints from residents who say they are alive and continue to live at their registered addresses, yet their names are missing from the draft rolls. Officials have said the additional checks are intended to ensure that no eligible voter is left out of the final electoral list. <Cite refs={["turn182115search0","turn182115search6"]}/>

Why Were More Than 47 Lakh Names Removed?

The draft electoral rolls published on August 31 listed approximately 97.53 lakh voters, compared with around 1.45 crore electors on the earlier rolls.

According to election officials, approximately 47.56 lakh names were excluded after enumeration forms could not be collected or processed during the initial exercise. These cases were categorised as ASDD, covering electors reported as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate, along with cases recorded under other reasons.

The omission of a name from the draft list does not necessarily establish that the person is ineligible to vote. The reverification exercise is intended to identify eligible electors who may have been missed and provide a route for their inclusion. <Cite refs={["turn182115search0","turn182115search3"]}/>

Booth-Level Officers Directed to Recheck Voters

BLOs have been instructed to revisit the addresses recorded in their official records and verify voters whose names were left out of the draft rolls.

According to reports, the officials will check whether eligible voters were missed during the earlier enumeration process. If an eligible voter is identified, the BLO will assist with the procedure for seeking inclusion in the electoral roll.

Delhi has approximately 14,947 booth-level officers, supported by assistant electoral registration officers, electoral registration officers and district electoral officers. These officials are responsible for addressing discrepancies and processing applications during the revision exercise. <Cite refs={["turn182115search6"]}/>

Chief Electoral Officer Ashok Kumar said officials had been instructed not to reject cases summarily because of minor errors in voters’ personal details.

Around 25 Lakh Notice Cases Reportedly Resolved

Alongside reverification of the deleted names, election officials are processing cases involving voters who received notices over non-mapping or logical discrepancies.

Around 33.12 lakh voters were issued notices after discrepancies were identified in their records. These included cases where voters could not be linked to the relevant earlier electoral rolls or where details contained inconsistencies.

Ashok Kumar said approximately 25 lakh of these cases had been resolved by October 16. Officials were working to dispose of the remaining cases, with the CEO stating that the cases involving notices were expected to be resolved by October 30.

The notice process and the reverification of names omitted from the draft list are related parts of the wider SIR exercise, but they address different categories of electoral-roll concerns. <Cite refs={["turn182115search0","turn182115search2"]}/>

What Can Voters Do if Their Names Are Missing?

Voters who find that their names are missing from the draft electoral rolls can check their status through the Chief Electoral Officer’s Delhi website and apply for inclusion where eligible.

The CEO’s office has advised eligible voters whose names do not appear in the draft list to submit Form 6, along with the required declaration and supporting documents, through the prescribed process.

The official website also provides access to the draft electoral rolls, the list of forms that could not be collected and details of notices issued during the SIR exercise. <Cite refs={["turn182115search4","turn182115search5"]}/>

Voters can visit the Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi website to check their names and access information about the revision process.

SIR Exercise Faces Scrutiny Over Possible Exclusions

The reverification drive comes amid growing public concern about the large number of names omitted from Delhi’s draft electoral rolls. Residents and political groups have questioned whether the process could exclude eligible voters, particularly people who were unavailable during enumeration or whose records contain discrepancies.

A recent public hearing in Delhi also highlighted accounts from residents who said their names were missing despite their continued presence at registered addresses. Such accounts have intensified calls for careful verification, although individual complaints require examination before the circumstances of each omission can be established. <Cite refs={["turn182115news8","turn182115search1"]}/>

The Election Commission’s stated objective of revising electoral rolls is to improve their accuracy. The challenge for officials is to identify duplicate, deceased or shifted electors while ensuring that eligible citizens retain their right to vote.

Final Electoral Rolls Scheduled for December 4

The reverification process is now an important step in preparing Delhi’s final electoral rolls. According to the latest reports, the final lists are scheduled to be published on December 4, 2026.

The outcome will depend on how effectively election officials verify the omitted names, resolve discrepancies and process applications for inclusion. The process is also likely to remain under public scrutiny because of the scale of the deletions and the concerns raised by affected residents.

Conclusion

Delhi election officials have begun reverifying more than 47 lakh voters excluded from the draft electoral rolls during the SIR exercise. Chief Electoral Officer Ashok Kumar has directed BLOs to check whether eligible voters were missed and has stressed that minor errors should not automatically lead to rejection.

With around 25 lakh notice-related cases reportedly resolved and the final rolls scheduled for December 4, the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether eligible voters omitted from the draft list are successfully restored to the electoral rolls.