The primary part of the special intensive revision (SIR) in Delhi deleted practically 4.8 million names from the Capital’s electoral roll, or roughly a 3rd of the 14.5 million voters as on June 20.
However even earlier than the controversial course of started on June 30, Election Commission knowledge reveals that just about 1.1 million names have been dropped between January 2025 – when it was frozen earlier than the February 2025 meeting elections – and June 2026, when it was frozen earlier than SIR. This represents round 7.07% of the town’s voters in 2025 and 11.32% now.
HT spoke to at the very least 15 folks throughout the Capital who weren’t conscious that their names have been dropped throughout this 16-month interval. Because of this, their partially crammed varieties for SIR have been by no means generated, by no means reached their booth-level officers, and so they by no means obtained an opportunity to enroll themselves.
“When SIR began, everyone in my household obtained an SIR kind besides me. We went to the BLO a number of occasions, however he mentioned my identify is just not there and I ought to register afresh later utilizing Kind 6,” mentioned home employee Puja Devi, who voted within the 2020 meeting elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and lives in Mubarakpur Dabas in northwest Delhi.
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Voter rolls see steady revisions
To make sure, additions and deletions to the electoral roll are a steady course of. If rolls usually are not frozen, additions might be achieved by utilizing Kind 6 and deletions by Kind 7.
However the variety of these deleted between January 2025 and June 2026 is uncommon compared with earlier workouts in Delhi. ECI knowledge reveals that the town’s voters elevated by 0.4 million between the 2020 state meeting elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections after which once more by 0.4 million folks between the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2025 state meeting elections, that means additions have been made greater than deletions within the rolls.
Of the 1.1 million deletions, practically 0.3 million have been made between Could 2026-June 2026 in the course of the pre-SIR mapping part.
Delhi’s rolls listed 15,614,000 electors in January 2025. By June 2026, this quantity had fallen to 14,510,299. It now stands at 9,753,577.
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Voters say they have been unaware of deletions
Puja Devi, who works as home assist in Nawada close to Dwarka in South West Delhi, moved to Delhi 10 years in the past after marrying Durgesh Kumar. HT verified her voter ID, which lists Mubarakpur Dabas as her tackle.
In Adarsh Nagar, Baljinder Kumar mentioned he has lived in the identical home since 2010.
“I’ve been a voter on this space for over twenty years. I used to be stunned that my identify didn’t even seem within the deleted voters’ record. The BLO is now saying that I ought to register as a brand new voter beneath Kind 6. However meaning I’m accepting that I’ve by no means voted earlier than,” Kumar mentioned.
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Residents throughout Delhi report related expertise
HT spoke to fifteen residents throughout Okhla, Timarpur, Tughlaqabad, Narela, Rohini and Jangpura who described the identical expertise. They didn’t obtain an SIR enumeration kind as a result of their names have been already deleted earlier than the train began.
Officers on the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) workplace attribute the 1.1 million deletions to routine quarterly roll revisions and errors by BLOs.
“Though it’s a excessive quantity, it’s potential that these names have been eliminated throughout routine revisions in that one yr. BLOs might need additionally eliminated names in the course of the pre-SIR mapping in Could and June,” a senior official mentioned. “These folks can get again on the rolls by registering as a voter utilizing Kind 6.”
BLOs dispute deletion claims
Some BLOs, nonetheless, insisted they have been explicitly barred from deleting names in the course of the pre-SIR mapping window. Throughout this era, they have been solely speculated to go door-to-door to determine electors whose names appeared within the 2002 rolls. These electors wouldn’t should submit contemporary paperwork, as their inclusion established continuity. For these born after July 1, 1987, mother and father’ names in earlier rolls might assist set up eligibility beneath the Citizenship Act, 1955, which reduces the necessity for added documentation.
Jitendra Singh, a BLO from Narela, mentioned additions and deletions have been ordinarily processed by way of the yr, however the pre-SIR part was totally different.
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“We obtain functions for addition and deletion of names all year long. Even when we obtain an software now, we should course of it. In pre-SIR mapping, we aren’t speculated to delete any names. If an individual is just not discovered on the specified tackle, or if their names can’t be mapped to the 2002 record, we’ve got to submit a report back to our supervisors,” Singh mentioned.
Jai Prakash, a BLO from Adarsh Nagar, echoed this. “We have been informed to not delete any names in the course of the pre-SIR mapping. However routine revision was nonetheless being achieved. Some BLOs might need deleted names however that quantity shouldn’t be very excessive,” he mentioned.
Adarsh Nagar information greatest proportion drop
Adarsh Nagar noticed the best proportion deletion throughout this 16-month interval – roughly 1 / 4 of its 177,398 electors in January 2025. It was adopted by Delhi Cantt and Uttam Nagar, the place the voters shrunk by 19.03% and 18.78%, respectively.
In absolute numbers, outer Delhi’s Bawana recorded the single-largest fall, dropping 69,112 electors from 384,849 in January 2025 to 315,737 in June 2026, an 18% drop. In Uttam Nagar, the quantity fell by 59,484 voters (18.8%), and in Nangloi Jat, 50,356 (18.7%).
