Receiving a notice during Delhi’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls does not mean that a voter’s name will automatically be deleted.
The Delhi chief electoral officer’s office has said the notices are part of a verification process to address discrepancies in voter records, and voters have an opportunity to respond and submit supporting documents.
So, what should you do if you receive an SIR notice? The first step is to read the notice carefully and understand the discrepancy that has been flagged. It could relate to details submitted in the enumeration form, a mismatch in the elector’s own name or a parent’s name, an age-related discrepancy, or the inability to establish a link with the previous SIR electoral roll. “The notices are in English. BLOs have been provided Hindi text also for the notices.
More than 33 lakh electors have been flagged under two categories: “no mapping”, where an elector could not be linked with the previous SIR roll, and “logical discrepancies”, where inconsistencies were found in voter details. In case someone does not understand the language of the notice, the BLOs will explain to them in Hindi on what are the discrepancies and the process to be followed,” an official said.
The Election Commission of India has clarified that the prescribed list of documents is indicative and not exhaustive. This means voters can submit other relevant documents that help establish their eligibility or address the discrepancy flagged in the notice. The Election Commission has suggested a list of supporting documents that voters can submit, depending on the discrepancy and their circumstances. The documentary requirements also vary depending on the elector’s date of birth. The prescribed list of documents is indicative and not exhaustive. The ERO can consider other relevant material on a case-by-case basis while deciding whether the discrepancy has been satisfactorily addressed. No. The Delhi CEO’s office has made it clear that receiving a notice is part of the verification process and does not amount to a deletion order. No elector’s name can be deleted without giving the person an opportunity to be heard and passing a proper, speaking and appealable order. This means voters who receive notices have an opportunity to explain the discrepancy and submit documents before any decision is taken on their electoral record. The list has also included several prominent names, including external affairs minister S Jaishankar, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and BJP veteran LK Advani.
These include identity cards issued to government or PSU employees or pensioners; documents issued by government authorities, banks, post offices, LIC and PSUs before July 1, 1987; birth certificates; passports; matriculation or other educational certificates; permanent residence certificates; forest rights certificates; caste certificates; NRC records, wherever applicable; family registers; and government-issued land or house allotment certificates. Those born before July 1, 1987, will need proof of their date and/or place of birth. Those born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004, will need documents establishing their own date/place of birth as well as that of one parent. Those born after December 2, 2004, will need documents for themselves and both parents. 13,79,785 electors could not be mapped with the previous SIR roll, while 19,33,134 were flagged for logical discrepancies, according to election authorities. Together, the two categories account for 33,12,919 electors. For Delhi’s ongoing SIR, the notice-disposal process is scheduled to be completed by October 29. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on November 4. Here’s what you need to do Delhi voters can respond online or offline to Special Intensive Revision notice (Representative image) Earlier reporting noted: NEW DELHI: More than 31.6 lakh registered voters in Delhi who have been served notices under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can respond online or offline to ensure their names are not deleted from the final electoral roll.
Voters who receive notices should therefore respond within the prescribed period and submit the relevant documents to the ERO or BLO handling their case.
The Delhi SIR exercise has flagged voters under two broad categories: “no mapping” and “logical discrepancies”. The notices have drawn attention to the process, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear a petition seeking disclosure of the criteria, algorithmic parameters and operational guidelines used to classify voters under the “logical discrepancy” category.
Earlier reporting noted: Delhi SIR: Received an notice? Earlier reporting noted: The notice tells voters why their names have been flagged and where they need to appear, while the Election Commission has provided multiple options to submit supporting documents before the deadline mentioned in the notice.
The voter can then submit a reply along with supporting documents to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) during the hearing process. The ERO will examine the documents submitted by the voter along with the verification report prepared by the Booth Level Officer (BLO). The voter can submit a reply along with supporting documents to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) on the date of the hearing. The ERO will examine the documents submitted by the voter as well as the verification report prepared by the Booth Level Officer (BLO) before taking a decision.
