Deadline Approaches for Claims and Objections in Delhis Voter Registration Process

New Delhi, October 28 (Daily Kiran) : The Election Commission of India has set October 30 as the final date for claims and objections during the Special Information Registration (SIR) process in New Delhi. This initiative began on June 30, 2026, with the qualifying date for eligible voters being October 1, 2026.

According to the commission, the SIR was mandated under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The enumeration phase concluded on August 17, 2026.

Previously, January 1 was the sole qualifying date for voter registration. However, amendments to the Representation of the People Act now allow for four qualifying dates each year: January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. This means that anyone turning 18 on or before these dates can register to vote.

The timeline for this process includes the publication of the draft voter list on August 31, 2026, with the period for claims and objections running from August 31 to October 30. The resolution of these claims will occur from August 31 to November 30, with the final voter list scheduled for release on December 4, 2026.

During the enumeration phase, booth-level officers (BLOs) distributed and collected forms from voters whose names were already on the list when the SIR commenced. Initially, there were 14,510,299 registered voters in Delhi. By the end of the enumeration phase, 9,753,577 voters had submitted their forms. However, 4,756,722 forms were not returned due to reasons such as absence, relocation, death, or duplication. A list of these voters is available on the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi’s website.

The draft roll published on August 31 included 9,753,577 voters, comprising 4,988,993 men, 4,764,137 women, and 447 third-gender voters. Currently, the notice and claims process is ongoing, with 3,314,032 notices issued to voters in the draft roll. Among these, 1,379,789 cases are classified as no-mapping issues, meaning they could not be mapped back to the last SIR conducted in 2002. Additionally, 1,934,243 cases involve logical discrepancies.

So far, 31,265,576 notices, or 94.34%, have been resolved and are set to be included in the final roll. All notices related to logical discrepancies have been issued. Following the commission’s directives from September 29, 2026, the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs have collected documents, resolving 18,966,675 cases, which is 98.05% of the total. The remaining issues are expected to be addressed soon, with a deadline for resolution set for November 30, 2026.

To maximize voter inclusion, over 100,000 special camps have been established across all 14,947 polling stations in Delhi, collecting a total of 38,849 forms. Since the draft publication, there have been 388,429 additional form submissions, with 524,639 forms received prior to August 31.

The lists of claims and objections for forms 9, 10, 11, 11A, and 11B are shared weekly on the CEO of Delhi’s website and with recognized political parties. EROs and Assistant EROs will not remove any names from the draft roll without proper hearings. Help desks at the district and assembly levels, along with a dedicated helpline at 1950, are available for complaints.

This comprehensive process involves 13 district election officers, 70 EROs, 902 Assistant EROs, and 14,947 BLOs, all under the supervision of the CEO of Delhi and the Election Commission. Additionally, 33,226 booth-level agents (BLAs) have been appointed by political parties.

As the deadline approaches, the Election Commission urges all Delhi residents to verify their names in the draft roll. If a name is missing, voters should fill out Form-6 for new registrations, Form-7 for objections to name additions or removals, or Form-8 for address changes or corrections before the October 30 cutoff.