Residents submitting documents for enumeration at a centre in Rajokri Pahadi, Mehrauli.
| Photo Credit: Suruchi Kumari
The Election Commission of India (EC) on Tuesday once again revised the schedule for the special intensive revision (SIR) of Delhi’s electoral rolls, extending the ongoing door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) till August 17 and postponing the publication of the final electoral roll to October 27.
This is the second such extension granted in a month after Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashok Kumar sought additional time, citing “slow progress of the enumeration process”.
The distribution and collection of enumeration forms, which was initially scheduled to conclude within a month of the exercise beginning on June 30, was rescheduled to conclude on August 8 after the first extension announced by the EC on July 15.
According to data from the CEO’s office, 63.23% of the 1.45 crore enumeration forms had been digitised as of Tuesday, while 99.199% forms were distributed, with just four days remaining for the completion of the first extension of the door-to-door verification.
‘Slow progress’
“The office of the CEO has received reports of slow progress in the digitisation of enumeration forms. The proposal for an extension was then prepared and sent to the EC. The remaining time was not sufficient for the BLOs to complete the exercise without errors and verify all details of the electors,” a senior election official said.
During the ongoing enumeration phase, BLOs have been tasked with visiting households to distribute and collect filled enumeration forms containing details of electors and, wherever available, mapping them with the last SIR roll. They are also responsible for identifying absent, shifted, dead, and duplicate voters.
BLOs have reported challenges in verifying voters who have shifted out and helping electors map their details, or those of their relatives, with entries in previous rolls, the official said.
‘Unbearable burden’
The official also said the extension was in line with recent Delhi High Court directions to ensure that election-related work does not place an unbearable burden on government school teachers deployed for the exercise.
“Some teachers are doing the SIR work after their regular school duties. By the time they come to the field, they are already exhausted. Though many have been relieved of school duties, that is not the case everywhere. The EC cannot impose this on schools,” he said. The draft roll will now be published on August 24. Voters will be able to file their claims and objections from August 24-September 23, followed by a month-long notice period and disposal of claims.
Published – August 05, 2026 12:58 am IST
