Several prominent voters in Delhi, including BJP veteran L.K. Advani, former Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, have been cleared for inclusion in the final electoral roll after field verification under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
Delhi election officials said the details of most high-profile voters who received notices during the exercise have now been verified. Their names have been kept for inclusion in the final electoral roll, which is scheduled to be published on November 4.
Prominent names cleared after verification
The list of prominent voters who received notices included L.K. Advani, Jagdeep Dhankhar, S. Jaishankar, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Several other people from politics, the judiciary, bureaucracy, public service, journalism, sports, arts and culture also received notices during the revision process. Election officials said most of these cases have now gone through field verification.
Booth-level officers and other poll officials visited voters at their addresses in recent days. They checked the information provided in their enumeration forms against supporting documents. After completing the verification, officials validated the entries of most prominent voters and kept their names for inclusion in the final roll.
Why were notices issued?
The notices were linked to discrepancies identified during the SIR process. A large number of voters were marked as either “unmapped” with the previous SIR or having logical discrepancies in their submitted details.
Many of the prominent voters were marked as “unmapped with last SIR” in electoral records from the previous revision conducted in Delhi in 2002. This did not mean that they were automatically removed from the electoral roll. Instead, election authorities asked them to provide documents and verify their details.
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer had earlier clarified that receiving an SIR notice does not mean that a voter’s name will be deleted. Officials must give the elector an opportunity to present documents and hear the case before passing a proper order.
More than 31 lakh voters received notices
The SIR exercise has covered a large section of Delhi’s electorate. According to the Delhi CEO office, more than 31.63 lakh notices had been generated and were being delivered to voters by September 19. Earlier, officials had identified 33.13 lakh voters for notices because of discrepancies in their enumeration forms.
The draft electoral roll published on August 31 contained more than 97 lakh electors. The notices were issued during the claims and objections stage to allow voters to submit documents and address discrepancies.
The Delhi CEO office has also said that the documents required for verification are indicative rather than exhaustive. Electoral Registration Officers can examine the documents available in individual cases before taking a final decision.
Rekha Gupta and other cases already validated
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was among the prominent voters who received a notice during the SIR exercise. Her case involved an age-related discrepancy in the information submitted through the enumeration process.
A Booth Level Officer conducted physical verification. After checking the relevant facts and documents, the Electoral Registration Officer validated her electoral entry and kept it for inclusion in the final roll.
The latest verification exercise has now cleared the details of several other prominent voters as well. Officials said the process applies the same verification framework to entries that show discrepancies, regardless of the voter’s public position.
Final electoral roll due on November 4
The Delhi SIR process is still underway. The claims and objections period is scheduled to continue until September 30. Election officials will then process the claims and objections and complete the disposal of notices.
According to the revised schedule, the disposal process is expected to be completed by October 29. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on November 4.
The CEO Delhi website has asked voters to check their names in the draft electoral roll. Voters whose names are missing can submit claims through the prescribed forms during the claims and objections period.
Verification remains central to SIR process
The clearance of Advani, Dhankhar, Jaishankar and other prominent voters follows the same verification mechanism being used for other electors whose details were flagged.
Election officials have maintained that the notices are part of the electoral-roll verification process and do not by themselves establish that a voter is ineligible. The final decision on individual entries will follow the submission and examination of documents and the completion of the statutory process.
With hearings and claims still underway, the final electoral roll will provide the definitive list of eligible voters in Delhi after the SIR exercise is completed.