Now Reading: 1 in 3 Delhi voters dropped from draft electoral roll
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1 in 3 Delhi voters dropped from draft electoral roll
One in three registered voters in Delhi, or 47.6 lakh people, will not find their names in the draft electoral roll to be published on August 24. Election officials attribute 75% of these deletions to voters who have shifted residences within the city or to neighbouring NCR towns, as per the Times of India. The special intensive revision (SIR) drive by 13,000 booth-level officers verified 97.5 lakh forms, achieving a 67.2% digitisation rate. Separately, Telangana published its draft rolls on August 17, removing 73.39 lakh voters (21.7% of the electorate) categorised as absent, shifted, dead, or duplicate, reports The News Minute.
In Delhi, voters whose names are missing and who still reside in the city can apply for fresh enrolment using Form 6 between August 24 and September 23. After verification, the final electoral roll will be released on October 27. In Telangana, 92 lakh voters in the draft roll (35%) will receive notices over 11 types of anomalies, including name mismatches and missing 2002 SIR details. Those voters can file claims and objections until September 16, with final rolls due on October 19.
In January 2025, Delhi had 1.55 crore voters, which dropped to 1.45 crore before the current revision. Officials said the deletions are part of a continuous update process. In Telangana, of the 73.39 lakh removed, 45.18 lakh were marked as permanently shifted, 11.25 lakh as absent, 9.22 lakh as dead, and 6.70 lakh as duplicate entries.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Times of India frames the deletions as largely a routine update driven by residential mobility, with 75% of dropped voters having shifted addresses. The News Minute, reporting on Telangana, highlights anomalies in 35% of the draft roll and the administrative burden of notices. Both sources understate the potential for political controversy: large deletions can trigger allegations of disenfranchisement, especially close to elections. The measured view is that while the SIR process is a standard cleanup, the scale, 33% in Delhi and 22% in Telangana, demands transparent verification and a robust claims process. Watch for the final publication date of October 27 in Delhi and October 19 in Telangana.
Sources (2): timesofindia.indiatimes.com, thenewsminute.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
