Delhi Electoral Office Clears 94 Percent of Disputed Voters

The Office of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer announced that more than 94 percent of the 33.1 lakh voters who received notices for discrepancies have been verified and cleared for the final electoral roll. These notices were issued during a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) due to logical discrepancies or failures to map entries to a 2002 revision. The verification process included high-profile figures such as Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Launched on June 30, the SIR exercise significantly reduced the draft roll from 1.45 crore to 97.5 lakh voters, resulting in the deletion of 47.6 lakh names categorized as absent, shifted, dead, or duplicate. The Supreme Court of India previously criticized the issuance of these notices, stating they were handled almost mechanically and lacked sufficient detail.

While the deadline to dispose of all notices is November 30, the final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on December 4. The process has been met with protests and allegations of irregularities. Some reports indicate that voters eliminated from the rolls have subsequently been denied passport renewals and ration cards in BJP-ruled states.