The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday launched the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi and started house-to-house verification of voters with Booth Level Officers (BLOs). The exercise is to ensure electoral rolls are updated and clean ahead of future elections.
In addition to Delhi, the voter verification drive has started in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, and Jharkhand, which is now part of the Election Commission's nationwide revision programme.
A week before the launch, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Alok Kumar said the exercise will start with BLOs visiting every household to distribute pre-printed Enumeration Forms and assist voters in completing the verification process.
How the Verification process will work?
Booth Level Officers will visit every residence to hand over duplicate Enumeration Forms to existing voters during the revision.
Electors are required to fill in their personal details and return one signed copy to the BLO. The second copy, which bears an acknowledgment of receipt, will be kept with the voter as proof of submission.
If a voter is unavailable, the form will be given to an adult family member. If a house is locked, the BLO leaves the form at the residence and returns at least three times to collect the completed documents.
Officials said those voters who cannot physically submit the forms will also be able to complete the process online.
Key dates for Delhi's SIR Exercise
The Special Intensive Revision in Delhi will continue until July 29.
The Draft Electoral Roll will be released on August 5, and citizens can file claims and objections until September 4.
The verification and disposal of claims will continue until October 3, and the final electoral roll will be published on October 10.
More than 13,000 BLOs deployed
According to the Delhi CEO, over 13,000 Booth Level Officers are now deployed across the capital city.
They check whether or not voters have already voted and verify the new voters, correct mistakes, and make sure electoral rolls accurately reflect current residents.
Delhi currently has 1,45,10,298 registered voters, including 67,98,142 women voters and 1,024 third-gender electors.
Special instructions for Residents Who Shifted to Delhi
To make the verification process easier, the Chief Electoral Officer's office has uploaded Delhi's 2002 Special Intensive Revision voter list on its official website.
Residents who have lived permanently in Delhi since before 2002 can verify their names using that list.
For voters who moved to Delhi from other states after 2002—which is common in the capital due to the large migrant population—the Election Commission has advised checking their previous voter registration details through the ECI's voter portal.
Voters have been asked to note details including their previous Assembly Constituency, Part Number, Serial Number, and the last Special Intensive Revision conducted in their previous state to facilitate verification.
Nationwide Exercise Continues
The Special Intensive Revision is currently underway in 19 states and Union Territories. The exercise has been ongoing for nearly a year and has resulted in the deletion of around six crore entries from electoral rolls across the country.
The revision process has been a subject of political debate, and opposition parties have raised concerns over voter deletions and documentation requirements. The Supreme Court has reaffirmed the constitutional validity of the Election Commission's power to conduct the Special Intensive Revision.
The pilot phase of the exercise started on June 24 last year in Bihar ahead of the state elections. After that, nearly 65 lakh names have been removed from Bihar's electoral rolls, which opposition parties say has resulted in the exclusion of eligible voters. The Election Commission has stated that the exercise is to ensure accurate, updated, and transparent electoral rolls.
Prior to Tuesday's rollout in Delhi, the election authorities also held a one-day training for electoral officers, including Booth Level Officers, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Sub-Divisional Magistrates (Election), and representatives of recognized political parties. The training, conducted with technical experts from the Election Commission of India, covered the procedures and implementation of the Special Intensive Revision 2026 and ensured uniformity and transparency in the verification process.
