Delhi’s Draft Roll Left Out 47.5 Lakh Electors; Where the Process Stands Now

Synopsis

According to the draft electoral roll, published on 31st August, 47,56,722 already registered electors have been removed from the electoral roll for Delhi. Most were categorised as shifted, absent, dead or duplicate. Some electors who have been excluded for any reason can apply to be included in the register using Form 6. The Election Commission has since adjusted the schedule, putting the final roll on December 22, but there are conflicting reports on when the claims were due.

The draft roll for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was sent out on 31st August. House to house enumeration was completed from 30th June to 17th August, and the existing roll was exhausted. Approximately 67% of the enumeration forms (ENFs) have been received and digitised (about 97.5 lakh ENFs). The other 47,56,722 were categorized as “uncollectable” under the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate and Others category (ASDDO). The majority of these were recorded as "permanently shifted.

What exclusion means

An elector's claim does not expire if they are not drafted. If a form was not received, those who wished to be included in the group might do so during the claims period by completing Form 6, making the appropriate declaration and providing the necessary documents. This could be done on Voters' Services Portal or on ECINET app or offline at the booth level officer/ electoral registration officer. Those who had moved, but not settled in permanently, were allowed to vote at their old address.

Response and uptake

In a statement, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said that the names of 47 lakh voters are missing out of 1.5 crore. According to the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's office, 2,71,639 applications of form 6 were received in the city between August 31 and October 27. This is a small number of those that have been left out. This figure is based on the number of applications and not the number of electors restored on the roll.

The schedule has been amended a number of times. This was partially due to the Commission's previous decision to set November 4 for the final roll, as they were rationalising polling stations to a maximum of 1,200 electors. Delhi's final roll has been shifted to December 22 after an October 29 email from election officers to state election officers. There are several reports of a new claims deadline, the first of which is Nov. 25 and the second is Dec. 15. Please check the dates with the CEO's office of Delhi.

Why it matters

Eligibility to vote is set by an electoral roll. The SIR in Bihar and elsewhere has been questioned for such exclusions and the actual number in Delhi will be dependent on the number of claims that are filed and accepted. Claims and objections are reviewed and decided upon following the issuance of notice and any deletions are subject to appeal to the Commission.

Electors Role What electors can do

Check the draft roll on the Election Commission Delhi or CEO Delhi website using the EPIC number or registered mobile number. If a name is missing and the elector is eligible submit Form 6 with supporting documents prior to the revised submission date.