# EC says SIR notices do not mean voter deletion after leaders get letters

2026-09-20T20:26:58+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

The Election Commission has clarified that notices issued to 33.13 lakh voters in Delhi under the Special Intensive Revision exercise do not mean their names will be deleted. The clarification came after prominent leaders including Arvind Kejriwal, LK Advani, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and former vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar received notices over discrepancies such as entries being unmapped with the last SIR in 2002. The Delhi CEO office said system-generated notices are being sent to correct data in ECINET. No name can be deleted without giving the voter an opportunity to be heard and issuing a speaking order. Electors can submit documents to the Electoral Registration Officer or Booth Level Officer. The process of disposing notices is scheduled to be completed by October 29, and the final electoral roll will be published on November 4. Times Now reported that Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's entry was validated within hours of her receiving a notice, raising questions about whether the same timeline applies to ordinary electors. The ERO said physical field verification was conducted and documents were verified.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

Hindustan Times and Free Press Journal reported the EC's clarification neutrally, focusing on the standard procedure and the list of prominent names. Times Now's first article also reported the EC statement without slant, but its second article questioned the speed of Rekha Gupta's verification, framing it as a transparency and equal-application issue. The critical framing highlights what the neutral reports omit: whether ordinary voters get the same rapid service. The key difference is not the fact of validation but the timeline disclosure, which the CEO office has not yet provided.

## Coverage

- hindustantimes.com (neutral report) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/notices-do-not-mean-deletion-election-commission-ec-clarifies-after-kejriwal-jaishankar-advani-get-sir-letters-101789919166051.html>
  Leads with EC clarification, lists prominent names, includes CEO statement verbatim
- freepressjournal.in (neutral report) <https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/delhi-sir-l-k-advani-eam-s-jaishankar-election-commissioner-ss-sandhu-get-notices-for-discrepancies-in-voter-details>
  Straight reporting of notice list and EC clarification, includes Sibal criticism without endorsement
- timesnownews.com (government critical) <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/no-name-can-be-deleted-without-giving-ec-clarifies-after-kejriwal-jaishankar-advani-get-sir-notices-article-156193367>
  Leads with speed of Gupta validation, questions transparency and equal application
- timesnownews.com (government critical) <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/sir-speed-test-for-cm-rekha-guptas-name-validated-within-hours-questions-follow-article-156193153>
  Leads with speed of Gupta validation, questions transparency and equal application

Tags: Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi, Election Commission of India, LK Advani, S Jaishankar
Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/ec-clarifies-notices-do-not-mean-voter-deletion-after-kejriwal-advani-jaishankar-get-sir-letters/
License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources.
Cite: https://indianopinion.org/ec-clarifies-notices-do-not-mean-voter-deletion-after-kejriwal-advani-jaishankar-get-sir-letters/#story-in-brief