SIR in Delhi: Election Commission begins voter list revision process, sets 2002 as base year for Delhi; What we know so far

The Election Commission has said that people in Delhi who are already registered as voters will not need to show any new documents to stay on the voter list. They will only have to fill out an enumeration form, as long as their names were also on the 2002 voter list. This comes as a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter rolls is about to begin in the capital.

For others, the process will be stricter. Like in Bihar, people may need to provide proof of identity, proof of residence, or show that their parents’ names were on older voter lists to stay enrolled. According to the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer, groundwork for this has already started under the Election Commission’s nationwide voter list revision plan.

In its statement, the Commission said the revision is being done to make sure the voter lists remain accurate and trustworthy. It added that Delhi will soon begin its special revision drive as part of this national effort.

The exact documents that will be accepted as proof have not yet been announced. In Bihar, Aadhaar was allowed only after the Supreme Court stepped in, and even then, it was accepted only as identity proof, not as proof of citizenship. The Supreme Court is expected to give its final verdict on the Bihar case in the first week of October, and the ruling will apply to the whole country.

Booth Level Officers appointed

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been appointed in every constituency, with efforts made to choose them from the same areas they will be working in. An official said that officers are being trained and polling stations are being reorganized to ensure everything is ready before the revision begins. Training for Electoral Registration Officers and their assistants was already conducted on September 15.

For Delhi’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the same 12 documents that were approved in Bihar will be accepted.

How the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) will work in Delhi: Key points so far

The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has asked people to check the 2002 voter list to confirm whether their names, or their parents’ names, are included, PTI reported on Wednesday.

According to the CEO’s office, this will help during the House-to-House (H2H) visits by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who will collect enumeration forms and necessary documents from residents as part of the SIR process.

• If your name is on both the 2002 and 2025 voter lists: You only need to submit the enumeration form and a copy of the 2002 list showing your name.
• If your name is not on the 2002 list but your parents’ names are: You will need to submit an identity proof, the enumeration form, and a copy of the 2002 voter list showing your parents’ names.

Nationwide elector mapping

The new mapping exercise is meant to avoid the kind of problems the Election Commission faced during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, where there were complaints of unfair exclusions and possible tampering with the voter rolls.

The reference year for voter verification will not be the same everywhere. For example, Assam has chosen January 2005 as its cut-off year, while Tamil Nadu will use a different one.

Since Assembly elections are due in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal in April–May next year, officials suggested that the Election Commission may speed up the nationwide SIR process. The goal is to finish the revision by the end of this year so that voter lists are fully accurate and ready before polling begins.