More than 33 lakh voters in Delhi have received notices during the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, putting the spotlight on discrepancies ranging from name mismatches to unusual age gaps.
The draft electoral roll, published on August 31, has around 97.5 lakh electors. Of these, 33.13 lakh were identified for notices after their records could not be linked to the previous intensive revision or were found to have what officials call “logical discrepancies”.
Importantly, a notice does not mean that a voter’s name will be deleted from the electoral roll.
Unmapped records make up the largest group
According to a Hindustan Times analysis of the notice data released by the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), around 13.8 lakh electors—about 42 per cent of those receiving notices—could not be mapped to the electoral roll prepared during the previous intensive revision in 2002.
Name-related discrepancies form another major category. About 41 per cent of the notices analysed involved mismatches in either the voter’s name or a parent’s name. Parent-name discrepancies accounted for around 24 per cent, while mismatches in the voter’s own name made up about 17 per cent.
Age-related issues accounted for around 16 per cent. These included cases involving unusually small or large age differences between parents and children, including instances where the recorded gap was less than nine months.
Around 1.4 lakh electors were also flagged because they were recorded as having six or more children. Another 182 entries involved cases where parents were considered ineligible in the previous SIR.
Why prominent names appeared on the list
The notice list includes several well-known public figures, including former deputy prime minister LK Advani, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Advani, his daughter Pratibha and daughter-in-law Geetika were issued notices because their records could not be mapped to the 2002 SIR roll, while his son Jayant cleared the mapping process. Jaishankar and his wife Kyoko were also marked as “unmapped with last SIR".
Former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and his family also figured in the notices.
In Gupta’s case, officials later said her details had been physically verified and validated. Her entry has been earmarked for inclusion in the final electoral roll for Shalimar Bagh.
A notice is not an order for deletion
The Delhi CEO’s office has said the notices are system-generated and meant to facilitate verification and correction of voter data in the ECINET system.
Voters can respond to the notice and submit supporting documents before the concerned Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Booth Level Officer (BLO). The CEO’s office has clarified that the prescribed list of documents is indicative rather than exhaustive.
It has also said there was “no existential crisis" arising from the notices and reiterated that no name can be deleted without an opportunity of being heard and a proper, appealable order.
What happens now
The claims and objections process will continue until September 30, with disposal of cases expected by October 29. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on November 4.
For voters who have received notices, the immediate step is to respond and provide the relevant documents. Their inclusion in the final roll will depend on the verification and due process that follow.