Early prep to avoid last-minute hiccups: Camps prepare ground for SIR in Delhi

New Delhi: Across the city, several temporary camps have been set up, especially on the weekends, drawing hundreds of voters and their family members who turn up to verify their credentials.

At these camps, booth-level officers (BLOs) are mapping voters to their respective polling stations by cross-checking their electoral records from 2002 with those from 2025.The exercise is part of the preparatory groundwork for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). A formal announcement of the SIR schedule in Delhi, however, is awaited.“During the SIR exercises in Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, BLOs faced significant difficulties. There were reports of some deaths also.

In Delhi, however, the mapping process is being carried out in advance, using the 2002 electoral roll as a reference. Every weekend, special camps are organised across the city where BLOs verify records and map voters. They are also conducting house-to-house visits for the purpose,” a BLO, not wishing to be named, told TOI.Another official said the early booth-level physical verification and mapping exercise is based on lessons learnt from Bengal and UP, where such work was initiated only after the revision process began.

“We want to finish the preparatory work early. So far, on an average, over 30% of verification has been completed,” said the official.Karan Aggarwal, a resident of East of Kailash, said a special camp was organised in his locality over the weekend from 10am to 5pm, where dozens of voters came forward for verification.“Since I was not a voter in 2002, I was mapped to my father’s voter ID. My wife, who votes in the Greater Kailash constituency, was also not a voter in 2002, so she was linked to her father’s voter ID details in UP.

Despite that, she will continue to be a voter in GK,” he said.SIR is an exercise to verify and update electoral rolls through surveys and document checks, ensuring only eligible voters are listed while removing names of the deceased, relocated or otherwise ineligible individuals. To facilitate this, the 2002 electoral roll — the baseline reference for SIR — has been uploaded on the Chief Electoral Officer’s website for public access and verification.

Voters whose names appear in both the 2002 and 2025 rolls are required to fill out enumeration forms for verification.

Those whose names are missing from the 2002 rolls are linked to their family members’ IDs.“We make entries through the BLO app during the exercise. Some BLOs have completed up to 80% of the mapping exercise in their areas. This work will greatly ease the burden once the actual SIR begins,” a BLO said.At the camps, anxiety among voters is palpable, according to the BLOs.

“Many people are worried about the SIR, but we explain that it is intended to make electoral rolls healthier,” another BLO said.During verification, BLOs have come across several discrepancies. For instance, some who have permanently moved outside India continue to have their names on the voter list. Similarly, migrant workers often register as voters in Delhi but do not delete their names after relocating elsewhere.

At the Ashoka Bindusar camp, BLOs have faced challenges in tracing registered voters due to such movement.Meanwhile, several voters have complained they received notices stating their names may be deleted on the grounds that they have shifted, even though they have been residing at the same address for years. John Dayal, 77, a Christian political activist who resides in Link Apartment under Patparganj assembly constituency, said a notice flagged that his wife, Mercy M John, had “permanently shifted”, even though she is staying at the same address for decades.“We visited the ERO’s office and submitted our representation challenging the notice, but we are yet to hear back,” said Dayal.An official clarified that updation of electoral rolls is a continuous process under which the family may have received the notice. He assured that the names of those who have not shifted will not be deleted.In Sarita Vihar, over five special camps had been organised in the past one month, said Anurag Srivastava, president of the F-Pocket RWA.“About 35-40 people turned at each camp. Some whose names did not feature in the 2002 electoral roll have been informed they would have to fill required forms when SIR begins. The BLO told them they will help all such people, so that no voter is left behind. The RWA has formed a team to help people during verification and mapping too,” said Srivastava.