As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Delhi’s electoral rolls proceeds, a draft list has been published and approximately 33 lakh people have received notices, of which 19.33 lakh were flagged for ‘logical discrepancies’, while 13.79 lakh could not be mapped to the previous SIR roll in 2002. Most of these ‘logical discrepancies’ involve misspelt names, a gap of under 15 years between a voter and their parent, or under nine months between siblings. 

Newslaundry visited two voter centres and found people arriving with largely similar problems. Yashpal Yadav was flagged for a name mismatch with the 2002 roll, though he was only 13 or 14 then and not yet a voter. He showed school certificates, a Class 10 marksheet and an Aadhaar card, all with the same spelling. 

Rajesh, a voter for over three decades, is being asked for his father’s full name, though every document lists only ‘P.N. Srivastava’. Others point out that married women often have no document bearing their father's name. Veena Devi says she cannot read the English-language notice and that no one explained it. The burden falls hardest on daily-wage earners, who lose Rs 500 to Rs 800 for each day spent at the centres. People also describe long waits and inadequate facilities, with no fans or drinking water. 

Our report also noted a contrast in the treatment of prominent and ordinary voters: officials reportedly visit VIP notice recipients at home, while ordinary residents were required to appear in person. The Election Commission later said that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit affected voters’ homes, collect supporting documents and upload them.

Whether BLOs can reach all 33 lakh people remains to be seen.

Watch. 

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