Delhi’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has resulted in notices being issued to several prominent voters, including former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and former vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar. The notices relate to discrepancies found in information submitted during the revision process.
The exercise covers more than 97 lakh voters in the national capital. After publication of the draft electoral roll, officials began issuing 33.13 lakh notices over irregularities in enumeration-form details. Most of the notices were linked to a mismatch with records from the previous SIR conducted in 2002.
Why the notices were issued
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s office said the notices are intended to correct voter data. It has uploaded the list of voters who have received, or are expected to receive, notices on the Delhi CEO’s website.
The office also clarified that receiving a notice does not mean that a voter’s name will be removed from the electoral roll. Officials said the names will be included in the final roll after the submitted facts and documents undergo the required verification process.
Most of the prominent voters named in the exercise belong to the New Delhi Assembly constituency. Advani, his daughter Pratibha and daughter-in-law Geetika received notices after their names could not be matched with the 2002 SIR roll. His son Jayant completed the matching process. Advani is 98.
Jaishankar and his wife, Kyoko Jaishankar, are voters in the Sunheri Bagh area of the New Delhi Assembly constituency and have also received notices. Dhankhar and his wife, Sudesh, were named among those issued notices as well.
Other prominent voters named
The list also includes Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, former Jawaharlal Nehru University vice-chancellor M Jagdish Kumar, former Delhi lieutenant governor Najib Jung, former NITI Aayog vice-chairperson Arvind Panagariya, Securities and Exchange Board of India chairperson Tuhin Kanta Pandey, former Army chief Upendra Dwivedi and Central Bureau of Investigation director Praveen Sood.
Election Commissioner S. S. Sandhu received a notice because of a difference in his name. His son, Damanbir, was issued a notice over a difference in his parents’ names. They are voters in the Delhi Cantonment Assembly constituency.
Sisodia, his wife Seema and their son Mir were also issued notices. Officials did not give a reason for Sisodia’s notice. Mir’s notice referred to a discrepancy in his parents’ names, while Seema’s cited a difference in her name.
Conclusion
The notices are part of the data-checking process under Delhi’s SIR. The final decision on inclusion in the electoral roll will follow verification of the details and documents submitted by the affected voters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is the Delhi SIR exercise?
The Special Intensive Revision is a process to review and update Delhi’s electoral rolls.
Q. How many notices have been issued in Delhi?
Officials are issuing 33.13 lakh notices over discrepancies in enumeration-form details.
Q. Does receiving a notice remove a voter’s name?
No. The Delhi CEO’s office said a notice does not mean that a name will be removed from the electoral roll.
Q. Why were many notices linked to 2002?
Most notices followed a mismatch between submitted details and records from the 2002 SIR.
Q. Where are many of the prominent voters listed?
Most of the prominent voters named are registered in the New Delhi Assembly constituency.
