New Delhi: Delhi's electoral roll revision has left 47.56 lakh names out of the draft electoral roll, while more than 31.63 lakh voters have received notices over discrepancies in their records. The process has drawn political criticism and a legal challenge over how voters were identified for verification and whether it provides enough information and safeguards.
The two figures represent different stages of the revision process. The draft electoral roll published on August 31 did not include the 47.56 lakh names. They are not necessarily permanently excluded and eligible voters can seek inclusion through the claims and objections process.
The more than 31.63 lakh voters who received notices remain in the draft roll. Receiving a notice does not automatically mean that a voter will be removed. Election officials are examining the records and giving the affected voters an opportunity to respond and submit supporting documents.
Before the Special Intensive Revision, Delhi had 1,45,10,299 registered electors. The draft electoral roll contains 97,53,577 names.
The Election Commission said 47,56,722 enumeration forms could not be collected during house to house visits, with the electors categorised as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate. The exercise is intended to verify electoral records and identify entries involving death, migration, duplication or other discrepancies.
The authorities have also identified 33,12,919 electors for notices. Of them, 13,79,785 were categorised as having no mapping with the previous electoral roll, while 19,33,134 were placed under the logical discrepancies category. More than 31.63 lakh notices have so far been served.
Reported examples of logical discrepancies include differences in an elector's name or a parent's name and unusual age differences between parents and children. Election officials have said these checks are intended to identify inconsistencies in electoral records.
The revision has also affected several prominent voters. Those reported to have received notices include Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, former deputy prime minister L K Advani and Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu.
Some prominent cases have already been verified. Gupta's electoral entry was validated after verification, while Sandhu's entry was also verified and validated by election officials. These cases underline that receiving a notice does not itself establish that a voter is ineligible.
The issue has now reached the Supreme Court. Activists Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri have challenged aspects of the notice process and questioned the transparency of the criteria used to identify voters under the logical discrepancies category.
The petition seeks greater information about the grounds for the notices and the criteria used to classify voters. It also raises questions about whether voters have enough information to understand the specific problem in their records and respond effectively.
The Supreme Court is examining the issue while the claims and objections process continues. The Court's proceedings do not amount to a finding that the electoral revision is illegal or politically motivated. The legal challenge concerns questions about procedure, transparency and safeguards.
The Court has also sought information from the Election Commission on the measures being taken in connection with the notices. The proceedings are continuing.
Independent analysis has highlighted large differences in the number of voters missing from the draft roll across polling booths. An investigation by the Reporters' Collective found hundreds of booths where more than half of the voters were absent from the draft roll. It also identified booths in areas affected by demolitions.
Those findings have raised concerns about the possible effect of the revision on displaced and vulnerable communities. However, the data alone does not establish that demolitions caused the voter exclusions or that the exclusions were deliberately carried out for political purposes.
The Election Commission has maintained that the revision is a verification exercise and that voters can use the claims and objections process to establish their eligibility. Authorities have also launched efforts to encourage people whose names are missing from the draft roll to file claims for inclusion.
Officials have said that around 23,000 of the approximately 3.16 million voters who received discrepancy notices had cleared their hearings so far. The hearings and verification process are continuing.
The deadline for filing claims and objections is September 30. The authorities are scheduled to complete the disposal of claims, objections and notices by October 29.
The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on November 4.
Until then, the number of voters who will ultimately be excluded from Delhi's electoral roll remains uncertain. The current figures describe the draft stage of the revision and should not be treated as a final count of people who have lost their voting rights.
The key issues now are how many of the 47.56 lakh names missing from the draft roll will be restored, how many voters who received notices will clear the verification process and whether the Election Commission will provide sufficient information and safeguards throughout the remaining stages of the revision.