Delhi SIR Puts 79.2 Lakh Voters Under Scrutiny
Investigation says 47.6 lakh names have been removed from Delhi’s voter rolls while another 31.6 lakh voters have received notices during the Special Intensive Revision.
More than half of Delhi's pre-SIR electorate has either been removed from the voter rolls or received notices requiring further verification under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to an investigation published by The Reporters’ Collective.
Delhi had around 1.45 crore voters before the revision exercise. According to the investigation, 47.6 lakh electors categorised as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate (ASDD) were first removed, while another 31.6 lakh voters remaining on the draft roll were subsequently issued notices.
DELHI SIR SNAPSHOT
1.45 crore — Voters before SIR
47.6 lakh — Names removed as ASDD
31.6 lakh — Voters issued notices
79.2 lakh — Combined number affected by the two processes
Taken together, these groups represent about 54.6% of Delhi's pre-SIR electorate, according to The Reporters’ Collective's analysis. Voters who received notices have until October 29 to establish their eligibility, the investigation reported.
The investigation also examined booth-level deletion patterns. It said that of Delhi's 14,947 polling booths across 70 Assembly constituencies, only 51 remained within a two-percent deletion benchmark referenced in Election Commission guidelines, while 639 booths saw more than half their registered voters removed.
GROUND-LEVEL FINDING
The investigation identified 29 polling booths where more than 70% of voters were deleted. Nine were in localities where homes had been demolished; across those nine booths, it calculated that 8,800 of 10,015 voters — 87.87% — had been removed.
The report argues that economically vulnerable and displaced residents have faced particular difficulties because demolitions and relocation can complicate address verification and documentation. It examined several settlements where residents had been displaced or rehabilitated and reported cases in which voters subsequently found their names absent from draft rolls.
In Wazirpur, for example, the investigation reported that 991 voters were deleted from a polling booth covering a housing complex where displaced families had been provided government housing, with more than 80% of registered voters at that booth removed.
The report also highlighted complications surrounding Form 6 and Form 8. The Election Commission has clarified that voters displaced following demolitions can use Form 8 to shift their address for inclusion in electoral rolls. However, residents interviewed by The Reporters’ Collective said some had been asked to register as new voters using Form 6.
The investigation further raised concerns that registering afresh could affect the continuity of electoral records used by some residents as documentary evidence for government rehabilitation benefits. These claims and their implications are part of The Reporters’ Collective's investigation and may be subject to legal and administrative scrutiny.
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear SIR-related matters on September 22, including issues concerning notices and alleged discrepancies in Delhi's revision process, according to the report. The Supreme Court's published cause-list system shows listings are available for September 22.