Delhi Draft Voter Roll Shrinks 32.8% as 4.76 Million Names Are Excluded
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Delhi's electoral rolls has reduced the total voter count by 32.8% after nearly 4.76 million names were excluded from the draft rolls, according to data released on Monday by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi.
The overall draft roll contains 9,753,577 electors, down from 14,510,299 names on the rolls as of June 20. The exercise narrowed the gender gap between voters from 912,990 to 224,856, as men accounted for 57.2% of the exclusions and women accounted for 42.8%.
Of the 4,756,722 electors not included in the draft roll, 2.72 million were men and 2.03 million were women. Consequently, the male electorate contracted by 35% while the female electorate decreased by 29.9% compared to the pre-revision rolls. The draft roll now comprises 4,988,993 male electors (51.2%), 4,764,137 female electors (48.8%), and 447 third-gender electors. Prior to the revision, Delhi had 7,711,132 male voters (53.1%), 6,798,142 female voters (46.9%), and 1,024 third-gender electors.
The CEO's office stated that 13,033 booth-level officers (BLOs) gathered 9.75 million enumeration forms between June 30 and August 17 across an equal number of polling stations, covering 67.22% of the electorate. Electoral rolls shrank across all 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi, with drops ranging from 16.5% to 47.8%.
Among the 4.76 million excluded entries, 4.33 million were classified under the permanently shifted, absent, or "others" category. Another 282,412 were confirmed as deceased, and 141,535 were identified as duplicate entries or individuals registered at multiple places. The "absent, shifted or others" segment comprised individuals who had enrolled in another state or Union territory, could not be traced during field verification, did not submit enumeration forms by August 17, or chose not to register.
The CEO's office clarified that exclusion from the draft roll does not strip a genuine voter of the right to be enrolled. Electors who missed the initial window can submit Form 6 along with a declaration during the claims and objections period, which runs until September 30. Form 7 is available for objections and deletions, while Form 8 covers residence shifts and detail corrections. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on November 4.
The revision prompted political exchanges. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal criticized the process on X, pointing out that 4.7 million names were missing from the roll and questioning the exercise. Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Harsh Malhotra countered the claims, stating that deletions occurred because supporters registered in multiple locations were removed, and urged Kejriwal to present any genuine left-out cases to the Election Commission of India.
