47 Lakh Delhi Voters Could Disappear From Draft Roll? SIR May Remove 1 Out of Every 3 Names

Delhi’s SIR draft electoral roll may exclude nearly 47 lakh voter names as one-third electors remain unverified. Final deletions will be clear after claims and objections process.

Post Published By: Sreeja Chowdhury

Updated : 18 August 2026, 8:07 AM IST

Special Intensive Revision process ongoing in Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi’s upcoming draft electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process could see a major change, with nearly one in three voter names potentially excluded from the list.

According to data from the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, around 97.47 lakh voter enumeration forms have been collected and uploaded, while nearly 47.62 lakh forms remain uncollected or unavailable.

Delhi had around 1.45 crore registered voters when the SIR process began. Those missing forms are likely to be marked as “uncollectible” in the draft roll scheduled to be released on August 24.

Why Could 47 Lakh Names Be Removed?

Officials said the category of “uncollectible” voters may include people who have shifted residence, duplicate entries, deceased voters, or those who could not be contacted during verification.

The high number of possible exclusions is being linked to Delhi’s urban nature, where frequent migration and changing addresses often make voter verification challenging.

Delhi May See Highest Draft-Stage Deletions

If the current figures remain unchanged, Delhi could record the highest draft-stage deletion rate among states and Union Territories where SIR draft rolls have been released.

Earlier, Telangana recorded around 21.59% exclusions, Arunachal Pradesh 19.09%, and Uttar Pradesh 18.7%.

Similar patterns have been reported in other urban regions, including Gurugram and Hyderabad, where a significant number of voters were marked difficult to verify during the exercise.

Final Voter List May Change After Objections

The Election Commission has clarified that the draft roll will not be the final list. After publication on August 24, voters and political parties will get an opportunity to file claims and objections.

The correction process will continue until September 23, followed by verification and disposal of applications. The final electoral roll for Delhi is expected to be published on October 27.

Officials have said eligible voters whose names are missing from the draft list can apply for inclusion during the claims period.

SIR Process Faced Deadline Extensions

The enumeration process in Delhi was initially scheduled from June 30 to July 29 but was extended twice due to delays in digitisation and uploading of forms.

With enumeration now completed, attention has shifted to the draft roll publication and the verification process ahead of the final voter list.