Delhi SIR: Only 2.5 Lakh Form 6 Applications Received After 47.6 Lakh Names Dropped From Draft Roll

Only 250,754 Form 6 applications were received in Delhi between August 31, when the draft electoral roll dropped nearly 4.76 million names, and October 22, according to the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office. West Delhi recorded the highest number of applications, while New Delhi district reported the lowest, raising questions about the pace of voter re-enrolment following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The applications include both new electors and people whose names were deleted during the SIR exercise. Another 212,400 Form 6 applications had been received before the draft roll was published on August 31, the CEO’s office said.

Of the 3.3 million people flagged for either lacking a link to the 2002 base electoral roll or having logical discrepancies in their records, around 2.95 million cases have been resolved. Their names will be included in the final electoral roll unless objections are filed through Form 7, in which case the claims will be scrutinised.

West Delhi Records Highest Number Of Form 6 Applications

The period between August 31 and October 22 included a series of special camps organised to help eligible voters enrol or return to the electoral rolls. The Election Commission of India (ECI) had announced the camps as part of its outreach efforts, with Delhi holding its first special camp on September 20.

Since then, authorities have organised around 89,000 camps, according to the CEO’s office. Between September 20 and October 22, 158,470 Form 6 applications were received.

West Delhi, which includes Tilak Nagar, Janakpuri, Rajouri Garden and Vikaspuri, recorded the highest number of applications at 30,361. It was followed by North West Delhi, with 25,925 applications, and East Delhi, with 24,200.

South East Delhi, which includes Okhla, Kalkaji and Tughlakabad, received 24,153 applications. North East Delhi recorded 24,136, while South Delhi received 21,322 and South West Delhi 22,098.

North Delhi recorded 18,451 applications, Outer North Delhi 17,991 and Central North Delhi 16,312.

New Delhi district, which includes New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment, recorded the lowest number at 4,341. Old Delhi, comprising Ballimaran, Matia Mahal, Sadar Bazar and Chandni Chowk, received 10,668 applications, while Central Delhi, which includes Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar, Moti Nagar and Rajinder Nagar, recorded 10,796.

Officials Cite Outreach As SIR Claims Window Nears Closure

The SIR exercise began in Delhi on June 30, when the electoral roll contained around 14.5 million voters. The draft roll, published on August 31, removed nearly 4.76 million names under the absent, shifted, dead or duplicate (ASDD) categories.

The claims and objections window closes on October 30. During this period, voters can submit Form 6 applications for inclusion, Form 7 objections seeking deletion of names and Form 8 applications for corrections to electoral details. Voters whose records have been flagged for logical discrepancies can also seek to resolve them.

“We have held over 89,000 special camps but still the numbers are low. This indicates that the ASDD list was compiled with due process. Out of the fresh applications too, nearly 50% are first-time voters,” an official told The Indian Express, requesting anonymity.

At least two district-level officials said some voters with more than one voter ID card preferred to retain their registration in their native places rather than enrol in Delhi.

A poll official from New Delhi district said nearly 20% of electors had to be removed from the district’s draft roll because they had moved elsewhere. The official cited government employees and retired officials who had previously lived in government accommodation in Lutyens’ Delhi but had since shifted to Gurugram or their hometowns.

The official said such voters had been advised to enrol where they currently reside.

Separately, booth-level officers are visiting localities to verify the status of people whose names appeared in the pre-SIR electoral roll but were missing from the current draft. Eligible voters are being assisted with Form 6 applications to facilitate their inclusion in the electoral rolls.