‘Issuance does not mean deletion’: ECI issues urgent clarification on Delhi SIR electoral roll notices
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) moved on Sunday to counter social media misinformation surrounding Special Intensive Revision (SIR) notices issued to Delhi electors, clarifying that serving such notices does not mean voters' names will be removed from electoral rolls.
In an official statement, the regulatory body outlined that automated system-generated notices are being dispatched to specific voter categories purely to rectify records within ECINET.
“No name can be deleted without giving an opportunity of being heard and a proper speaking and appealable order. Therefore, there is no existential crisis as is being brought out in Social and Print Media,” the Election Commission of India (ECI) said in a statement.
The ECI noted that notices are strictly limited to two classifications of electors listed within the Draft Electoral Rolls.
These groups comprise electors who could not be linked to the previous Intensive Revision electoral roll and those exhibiting logical discrepancies in their linking data relative to the prior Intensive Revision roll, the ECI explained.
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“List of electors to whom notices have been issued is available on the websites of CEO, Delhi and District Election Officers and Voter Centres. Link of the notices is available on the website of CEO, Delhi at https://ceodelhi.nic.in/ceodelhiweb/Notices_Issued_in.aspx,” said the statement.
“All stakeholders are hereby informed that the issuance of notice does not mean that their names will be deleted from the electoral rolls of NCT of Delhi,” said the Commission.
The ECI indicated that upon receiving notices, electors can submit responses or required supporting documents to the relevant Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Booth Level Officer (BLO).
“It is pertinent to mention that the list of documents prescribed by ECI is only indicative, not exhaustive. EROs, being the statutory authority, will take a final decision based on the available documents and report of BLO,” it said.
“The disposal of notices will be completed by November 29 as per schedule of SIR 2026, and names of such electors will be included in the Final Electoral Roll to be published on November 4,” the ECI said.
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The ECI has reportedly dispatched notices to nearly 3.2 million voters to confirm their eligibility for inclusion on electoral rolls. High-profile figures listed in the draft roll who received discrepancy notices include Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, BJP Member of Parliament Bansuri Swaraj, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
Similar notices were also served to Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi, former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, former Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, and former Election Commissioner S.S. Sandhu.
IANS