Delhi's Voter Roll Chaos: Low Turnout & Confusion as Oct 29 Deadline Nears!

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Delhi's electoral rolls is facing significant challenges, with a looming October 29 deadline and widespread confusion among citizens. Reports indicate a stark mismatch between the number of hearings scheduled, the number of people turning up, and the successful processing of document submissions across various centers in the capital.

For instance, 29-year-old Vaishali experienced firsthand the difficulties at a Chandni Chowk venue. Despite arriving within her scheduled time, she was turned away as no more tokens were being issued, highlighting issues like limited staff and long waiting times. Officials cited "paucity of time," electors arriving without required documents, and requests for rescheduling as key reasons for the processing gap.

Even at venues like Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, only three officials manage hundreds of scheduled hearings daily, with a large number of electors failing to show up and even fewer successfully processing their documents. The lack of clear communication regarding necessary documents is a major hurdle. Vaishali, after being asked to return the next day, learned she needed her parent's document, a detail not mentioned in her initial notice.

The Election Commission's SIR guidelines state that electors born between 1987 and 2004 need their own and one parent's document, while those born after 2004 require documents for themselves and both parents.

However, notices only list indicative documents without specifying these age-based requirements, leading to confusion and revisits.

Many citizens also arrive with only Aadhaar or PAN cards, which are often insufficient.

In constituencies like Mustafabad, around 1,200 to 1,500 people show up for 2,000 scheduled hearings daily, but only about 500 cases are successfully processed. This indicates a significant backlog and efficiency issues, with officials sometimes working late into the night to accommodate elderly or daily-wage workers.

Overall, out of 33.1 lakh electors in the draft roll, 19.33 lakh have been flagged for "logical discrepancies," and the hearings and verification must conclude by October 29 before the final electoral roll is published on November 4. The Supreme Court has also agreed to prioritize a plea against the Delhi SIR process, adding another layer of urgency to this critical civic exercise.

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