A BLO distributing enumeration forms in New Delhi.
| Photo Credit: FILE PHOTO
Over 33 lakh people whose names are listed in the draft electoral roll but whose enumeration forms were flagged for anomalies or classified as ‘unmapped’ will receive notices only in English for document verification and hearings under the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) drive in Delhi, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Prashant Kumar told The Hindu.
Of the 97.56 lakh names in the draft roll, 19.33 lakh have been flagged for anomalies while 13.79 lakh have been classified as ‘unmapped’.
“We were asked to choose between English and Hindi by the Election Commission of India for the generation of notices; we chose English,” Mr. Kumar said.
He added that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been asked to explain the notices in the preferred language.
A supervisor BLO from Mehrauli said, “It was already a task to fill everyone’s enumeration forms, which were given to us in English only. It would have been easier had notices also been allowed to be published in Hindi, as the majority of people in my area only speak Hindi and are migrant workers, whose children go to government schools.”
BLOs comprise mainly government school teachers and anganwadi and ASHA workers.
What rules say
Election Commission (EC) guidelines empower State authorities to choose the languages in which to publish electoral rolls, notices, and subsequent circulars based on the demographics and specific regions.
In Karnataka, for instance, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) V. Anbu Kumar has directed that notices be issued in Kannada and English, as well as in Urdu and Marathi for specific regions.
In Delhi, where the draft roll and SIR-related documents were published in Hindi and English, CEO Ashok Kumar has directed that the clarification notices be issued only in English.
As per circulars on the Delhi CEO website, the draft electoral roll and subsequent notices must be published in Hindi and English. Election-related rolls have earlier been published in the national capital in English, Hindi and Urdu, depending on the constituency.
In Deoli and Badarpur, more than 40% of the electorate in the draft roll is set to receive notices. In the North East district, over 4.5 lakh people will receive notices, including nearly 3 lakh for anomalies.
The process
The electors will have seven days to respond to notices delivered by the BLOs from the date of generation.
The BLOs will mention the reason for the notice and the documents required for verification and ask people to appear before the designated Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant ERO at the specified time and place.
After delivering a notice, the BLO will upload the acknowledgement signed by the recipient, along with the time of delivery, on the BLO app. All notices are to be served, and claims and objections disposed of, by October 29.
Electors can also scan a QR code on the notice to submit documents for verification. The Delhi poll office is examining whether physical appearance before the ERO can be made optional for those who submit the required documents online, an official said.
Published – September 05, 2026 01:09 am IST
