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Delhi's SIR draft roll leaves out 47,56,722 electors

English हिंदी ಕನ್ನಡ മലയാളം தமிழ் తెలుగు
First brief 2 Sep, 5:00 am IST Updated 3 Sep, 9:47 pm IST 6 developments 4 min read Latest ↓
File: Election Commission headquarters, New Delhi
Ramesh Lalwani · CC BY 2.0

Where it stands

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi published the draft roll on 31 August 2026. The draft roll has 97,53,577 electors. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) began on 30 June 2026. At that time Delhi's roll had 1,45,10,299 electors. So 47,56,722 electors, or about 33 per cent, are not in the draft. The CEO listed 43,32,775 of these electors as shifted, absent or others. In 13 of the 70 Assembly constituencies, more than 40 per cent of electors are not in the draft. Tughlakabad has the highest share at 47.8 per cent. A missing name is not deleted yet. Electors left out can file Form 6 till 30 September 2026. The final roll is due on 4 November 2026.

Background

An electoral roll is the list of people allowed to vote. The Election Commission of India (ECI) revises the roll under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Rule 25 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 allows an intensive or a summary revision. In an intensive revision the roll is prepared afresh. Booth Level Officers visit every house. The last intensive revision in Delhi was held in 2002. Other states last held one between 2002 and 2005. The ECI began the present round of SIR in Bihar in June 2025. Delhi is in the third phase, ordered on 14 May 2026.

How it developed

  1. June to September 2025
    How it started

    How the Special Intensive Revision began in Bihar in 2025

    On 24 June 2025 the Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered a Special Intensive Revision of Bihar's electoral roll. Bihar's draft roll of 1 August 2025 had 7.24 crore electors, against 7.89 crore on 24 June 2025. On 8 September 2025 the Supreme Court told the ECI to accept Aadhaar as a twelfth identity document. The Court said Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship. Bihar's final roll of 30 September 2025 had about 7.42 crore electors. The ECI then ordered the SIR in other states and union territories in phases.

    Akashvani NewsPress Information BureauLiveLaw
  2. 27 October 2025 to 15 May 2026
    New fact

    ECI orders the third phase of SIR. Delhi gets a schedule.

    On 27 October 2025 the ECI ordered the second phase of SIR in 12 states and union territories. On 14 May 2026 the ECI ordered the third phase in 16 states and three union territories, including Delhi. On 15 May 2026 the CEO, Delhi published the Delhi schedule. House visits were to run from 30 June to 29 July 2026. The draft roll was due on 5 August 2026. The final roll was due on 7 October 2026.

    Chief Electoral Officer, DelhiDD NewsAkashvani News
  3. 30 June to 19 August 2026
    New fact

    ECI extends Delhi's SIR schedule. Draft roll moved to 31 August.

    Booth Level Officers began house visits in Delhi on 30 June 2026. The ECI extended the Delhi schedule more than once. On 19 August 2026 the ECI moved the draft roll date from 24 August to 31 August 2026. Earlier the date had moved from 5 August to 24 August. The claims and objections period now runs from 31 August to 30 September 2026. The final roll date moved from 7 October to 4 November 2026.

    Chief Electoral Officer, DelhiAkashvani NewsThe Tribune
  4. 31 August 2026
    New fact

    Delhi publishes the draft roll. 47,56,722 electors are not included.

    Booth Level Officers visited houses from 30 June to 17 August 2026. Of 1,45,10,299 electors at the start, 97,53,577 returned forms, or 67.22 per cent. On 31 August 2026 the CEO, Delhi published the draft roll with these 97,53,577 electors. Forms for 47,56,722 electors could not be collected. The CEO listed 43,32,775 as shifted, absent or others. Another 2,82,412 were dead and 1,41,535 were enrolled at more than one place.

    Chief Electoral Officer, DelhiAkashvani NewsANI
  5. 31 August to 1 September 2026
    New fact

    Thirteen constituencies have over 40 per cent of electors left out

    The CEO, Delhi published a constituency-wise table on 31 August 2026. In 13 of the 70 Assembly constituencies, more than 40 per cent of electors are not in the draft. Tughlakabad has the highest share at 47.8 per cent, then Okhla at 45.2 per cent. South East district has the largest gap, with forms for 6,79,081 electors not collected. Business Standard compared the draft with the roll of 17 January 2025, of 1,56,14,000 electors. The draft is 37.5 per cent smaller than the January 2025 roll.

    Chief Electoral Officer, DelhiBusiness StandardThe Tribune
  6. 1 September 2026
    Official response

    CEO asks electors to check the draft and file claims by 30 September

    On 1 September 2026 the CEO, Delhi appealed to all electors to check their names in the draft roll. Electors left out can file Form 6 with a declaration form till 30 September 2026. Form 7 is for objections or deletions. Form 8 is for address changes or corrections. The CEO said no name will be deleted without a notice, an inquiry and a written order. An appeal goes to the District Magistrate within 15 days, then to the CEO within 30 days.

    Chief Electoral Officer, DelhiANIBusiness Standard
  7. 3 September 2026, morning
    Official response

    Delhi High Court limits booth level agents' liability to the photo check

    Delhi Congress leaders had challenged an ECI rule on booth level agents (BLAs). The ECI's SIR guidelines of 24 June 2025 required an undertaking from each BLA. The undertaking said the BLA had personally verified the details in the enumeration forms. Justice Amit Bansal decided the petition on 3 September 2026. The Court said a BLA cannot verify facts known only to the elector. Verification is the Booth Level Officer's job. Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 punishes false declarations. A BLA is liable under Section 31 only for confirming the photograph matches the elector.

    Delhi High CourtIANSLiveLaw

Why it matters for UPSC

GS2 · Elections and ECIGS2 · Representation of the People Act, 1950GS2 · Constitutional bodies

The topic falls under General Studies Paper 2, elections and the Election Commission of India. Remember the legal base: Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Remember one distinction. A name missing from the draft roll is not a deletion. Deletion needs a notice, an inquiry and a written order by the Electoral Registration Officer. Also note the Supreme Court order of 8 September 2025: Aadhaar proves identity, not citizenship.

Key terms

Special Intensive RevisionA Special Intensive Revision is a full re-check of the electoral roll. The Election Commission of India orders the revision under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Booth Level Officers visit every house. Every elector fills an enumeration form. The roll is then prepared afresh from the forms. A summary revision only adds and corrects entries. An intensive revision rebuilds the whole roll.
Enumeration formAn enumeration form is a printed form given to every elector already on the roll. The Booth Level Officer brings the form to the elector's house. The elector fills in the details and returns one copy. No document is needed with the form. In Delhi electors could also fill the form online. Only electors whose forms came back are in the draft roll.
Booth Level OfficerA Booth Level Officer, or BLO, is a government worker in charge of one polling booth area. During the SIR the BLO went house to house. The BLO gave out enumeration forms and collected the filled forms. The BLO made at least three visits to collect a form. Delhi used 13,033 BLOs for the SIR.
Electoral Registration OfficerThe Electoral Registration Officer, or ERO, prepares the roll for one Assembly constituency. Delhi has 70 EROs, one for each constituency. The ERO decides claims and objections. The ERO cannot delete a name without a notice, an inquiry and a written order. An appeal against the ERO's order goes to the District Magistrate within 15 days.
Claims and objectionsClaims and objections is the period after the draft roll is published. A claim asks for a name to be added or corrected. An objection says a name in the draft should not be there. In Delhi the period runs from 31 August to 30 September 2026. The ERO hears each case and passes an order. The final roll is published after the period ends.
Forms 6, 7 and 8Form 6 is the application to add a name to the roll. Anyone turning 18 by 1 October 2026 can also use Form 6. Form 7 is the application to object to a name or to delete a name. Form 8 is for an address change or a correction. Forms go to the ERO or the BLO, or online via voters.eci.gov.in or the ECINET app.
Sources (19)
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