Delhi's Electoral Roll Controversy: What Notices Mean for Chief Minister and Other Prominent Voters

Notices Issued to Key Delhi Voters

New Delhi: The Election Commission has issued notices to several notable voters in Delhi, including Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, due to inconsistencies found in their enumeration forms during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, officials reported on Saturday.

Despite the discrepancies, the Chief Minister's entry has been confirmed and will be included in the final electoral roll for the Shalimar Bagh constituency, which is set to be published on November 4, according to a statement from the Chief Electoral Officer's office.

The discrepancies were identified based on the information provided in the enumeration forms submitted by voters during the door-to-door verification that took place from June 30 to August 17.

Out of 33.13 lakh voters listed in the draft rolls, notices have been sent to those with discrepancies in their enumeration details, with 31.63 lakh voters already notified.

Most of these notices relate to missing records from the previous SIR conducted in 2002.

Gupta's notice was issued due to an 'age-related' inconsistency, officials indicated.

Other notable figures, including former Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal, and BJP leader Sudhanshu Mittal, have also received notices.

Kejriwal, who is registered as a voter in the New Delhi Assembly constituency, was notified for being 'unmapped with the last SIR.' His family members, including his wife Sunita, parents, and son, have also received similar notices.

Kejriwal faced defeat in the Assembly elections held in February last year in the New Delhi constituency.

In response to the notices, AAP's national media in-charge Anurag Dhanda questioned the integrity of the process, asking, 'What kind of process is it to erase the votes of three-time Delhi Chief Minister @ArvindKejriwal ji and his family from Delhi’s voter list @ECISVEEP?'

Sibal, a voter from the New Delhi constituency, has also been issued a notice for being 'unmapped with the last SIR,' officials confirmed.

Sachdeva stated that his notice was due to a name-related mismatch, and he plans to rectify it with the appropriate documentation. He also mentioned that his wife and brother are among those who received notices and that necessary corrections will be made.

The Delhi CEO office clarified that these notices are part of the claims and objections phase of the SIR, which will conclude on September 30.

A comprehensive list of the 33 lakh voters receiving notices has been made available on the Delhi CEO office's website.

The notices target voters who could not be linked to the electoral roll from the last SIR or have discrepancies in their linkage with the previous revision, as stated by the CEO office.

Voters who received notices must respond and provide necessary documentation to the electoral registration officers (EROs) of their respective Assembly constituencies by October 29.

Furthermore, the Delhi CEO office noted that, following the Election Commission of India's directives, all names of significant voters—including those from the judiciary, public representatives, and notable figures in arts, culture, journalism, sports, and public service—previously flagged in the electoral database, have been included in the draft electoral rolls to facilitate the collection of necessary documents during the claims and objections phase.