Time for Delhi voters to check old rolls: EC begins SIR process | Key year and details
In Delhi, poll panel has requested people to go through old voter list on its website to verify their or parents' names; says will help in house-to-house check
To remain on the electoral rolls, current registered voters in Delhi shall not have to submit any proofs — but only an enumeration form — if their names were on the 2002 rolls too, the Election Commission has said as a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the data is set to start in the national capital.
For others, the process is likely to be similar to that in Bihar, whereby parents' names on the older list, and/or identity and residence proofs, will be required for you to remain on the rolls.
Details of which proofs will suffice are not yet out, though it took Supreme Court intervention for Aadhaar to be considered in Bihar, that too as proof of identity and not citizenship. The final hearing in the Bihar SIR case is likely in October first week, and the verdict will apply to all of India, the court has said.
The process is planned nationwide anyhow, hence the move in the national capital. Delhi had what's called a Special Summary Revision carried out by the EC on its own earlier this year. That showed the national capital has 1.55 crore registered voters. The SIR is essentially a recheck and remaking of the entire list.
How SIR will work in Delhi: What we know so far
For now, the Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO) has requested people to go through the voter list of 2002 to verify their and their parents' names, PTI reported on Wednesday citing a statement from the CEO's office.
“This would be helpful during the House to House (H2H) visit by BLOs (booth-level officers) during SIR (Special Intensive Revision) for collecting enumeration forms from the public along with required documents,” the CEO's office said.
"Those whose names appear in the voter lists of 2002 and 2025 shall have to submit only Enumeration Forms along with extract of voter list of 2002," it added.
In cases where the name of an elector does not appear in the voter list of 2002 but his parents' names do, s/he will have to submit an identity proof, along with the enumeration form and an extract of the voter list of 2002 in respect of parents.
For others, going by the Bihar precedence, certain proofs will be sought.
Delhi election website has old list, SIR tab
The Delhi CEO website now has two tabs right upfront when you open it.
- One has the voter list from the last such revision held in 2002. It can be searched by voter card number or other details.
- Plus, under a tab for SIR, the present assembly constituencies have been mapped with the constituencies as they existed in 2002 — some redrawing of assembly seat boundaries happened in between.
- Booth-level officers (BLOs) have been appointed in all assembly constituencies, a statement said. All officers required and concerned — district election officers, electoral registration officers, assistant electoral registration officers and BLOs — have been trained too.
The poll panel's preparations in Delhi are part of the plan to have a nationwide SIR. The Election Commission has said it's carrying out its constitutional mandate to protect the integrity of the electoral rolls.
Part of nationwide revision
Similar trainings have happened in other states including West Bengal, where elections are due next year.
In Bihar, where the elections are set to start next month, the cutoff for SIR was a 2003 list.
The process, particularly the demand for specific documents initially excluding regular ones like Aadhar and ration cards, sparked a huge political row.
Opposition parties have alleged the exercise is aimed at depriving people of their right to vote. The ruling BJP at the Centre, and in Delhi and Bihar, has supported the exercise to be made pan-India.
In Bihar, the SIR's findings so far have reduced the total number of registered voters from 7.9 crore to 7.24 crore, though objections remain.
The EC has maintained that the SIR's purpose is to ensure that the names of all eligible citizens feature in the electoral rolls and that no ineligible voter is included in it.
The poll panel was likely to roll out the nationwide revision before the end of 2025, but has not decided yet if the exercise will be conducted simultaneously or in a staggered manner, HT has reported.
