Delhi begins revision of electoral rolls; last date to apply is November 30

Data provided by the Delhi chief electoral officer also showed that the draft roll saw a decline of 102,520 voters when compared to the last list published in January this year, which election officers said could be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic

Delhi on Monday released its draft electoral roll for 2022 and urged all adults to register or update their names and addresses with the state election commission by November 30. Data provided by the Delhi chief electoral officer (CEO) also showed that the draft roll saw a decline of 102,520 voters when compared to the last list published in January this year, which election officers said could be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic. not many people would have been able to register themselves on the electoral rolls earlier due to the pandemic-induced restrictions in place, they said.

The final electoral roll will be published on January 5, 2022. (HT Archive)

The special summary revision is significant because Delhi will hold municipal elections sometime in April next year. The final electoral roll will be published on January 5, 2022. Addressing a press conference, Delhi CEO Ranbir Singh said Delhi has 14,795,549 registered voters according to the draft roll published on Monday. The total number of electors in the final electoral roll of the Delhi on January 15, 2021, was 14,898,069, which was 205,933 more than the total electors -- 14,692,136 -- in the final roll published on January 6, 2020, data with the CEO office showed.

“In the past few years, we saw an increase in voters’ registration due to the Lok Sabha and Delhi Assembly elections. But this year, 319,222 voters were deleted from the list due to duplication, dead entries, and change of addresses. The Covid-19 pandemic could also be the reason why not many got their names registered or updated in the electoral rolls. Usually, the enthusiasm to get a voter ID card peaks around elections. With MCD elections scheduled next year, we hope more people register with us this month,” said Singh.

Data showed that of the 319,222 names that were deleted, 59,423 were due to deaths, 251,062 were due to change of addresses, and 8,737 were replicated. A total of 216,702 people were added to the latest voters’ list. According to the health department bulletin of the Delhi government issued on Sunday, 25,091 people have died in Delhi due to Covid-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020.

“The primary objective of the special summary revision is to include newly eligible voters as of January 1, 2022, as well as those who have been excluded from the list. Those who have completed or will be completing 18 years on or before January 1, 2022, can get their names added in advance this month. Another objective for the special summary revision is to provide people with an opportunity for correction in their particulars and also invite objections against any wrong inclusion in the electoral roll,” said Singh.

The number of male, female and third-gender electors in the latest roll are 8,088,031; 6,706,570; and 948, respectively. The numbers in the previous roll were 8,158,180; 6,738,976 and 913 respectively. Among the 70 assembly seats, Tilak Nagar (assemble constituency 29) has the highest gender ratio-- 950 (i.e. 950 women for every 1,000 men), while Tughlakabad (assemble constituency 52) has the lowest-- 684. At least 36 seats have a higher gender ratio than the state’s-- 829.

People can get their names registered with the Delhi CEO’s office by downloading the Voter Helpline App’, or logging on to www.nvsp.in, or by visiting the nearest polling location where officials will assist them through the registration process. “The differently abled can do the same by downloading the PWD mobile app. For homeless citizens, special camps will be set up at DUSIB shelters too,” said the chief electoral officer.