The next two days are crucial for nearly 1.45 crore voters in Delhi, as August 17 is the last date to submit enumeration forms under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.
Concerns have grown because more than 30 per cent of the forms have not yet been collected or verified. As a result, a significant number of names could be missing from the draft electoral roll scheduled to be published on August 24.
Election officials, however, clarified that exclusion from the draft list does not mean a voter permanently loses voting rights. Eligible voters will still be able to file claims and objections to have their names included in the final electoral roll.
Why August 17 Is A Key Deadline
The enumeration phase of the third stage of the SIR exercise began on June 30 and will continue until August 17. Delhi had 1,45,10,299 registered voters as of July 2026.
Authorities have completed the distribution of enumeration forms to all registered voters, achieving 100 per cent coverage. The challenge now lies in collecting the forms and completing document verification.
Officials said verification of documents for nearly 32 per cent of voters is still pending. Both physical submission and online filing of forms will close on August 17.
The draft electoral roll is set to be released on August 24. Based on current figures, around 30 per cent of registered voters may not find their names in the preliminary list.
According to officials, more than 30 per cent of the forms distributed among 1.45 crore voters have not yet been returned. Reasons cited include voters being unavailable, shifting residences, deaths and duplicate entries.
Nearly 75 per cent of the uncollected forms are linked to voters who have moved to new addresses, officials said. A large number of Delhi residents live in rented accommodation and often do not update their addresses on voter identity cards after relocating.
This makes verification at old addresses difficult and leads to non-submission of enumeration forms, creating uncertainty over many names before the draft list is prepared.
Missing From Draft List
Election authorities said exclusion from the draft electoral roll is not permanent. Voters will be able to submit claims and objections between August 24 and September 23.
Eligible voters who wish to register at a new address can apply through Form-6 during this period.
After the claims and objections process is completed, eligible voters’ names will be included in the final electoral roll, which will be published on October 27.
Therefore, voters whose names do not appear in the draft list on August 24 will have until September 23 to seek inclusion.
Over 96 Lakh Forms Digitised So Far
According to a cumulative status report issued at 8 pm on August 14, a total of 96,85,155 enumeration forms had been digitised in Delhi. This accounts for 66.75 per cent of the city’s 1,45,10,299 registered voters.
As of August 14, around 66.7 per cent of the forms had been verified and digitised, indicating that the digital verification process is still underway despite complete distribution of forms.
District-Wise Progress
District-wise data show considerable variation in progress. Outer North recorded the highest digitisation rate at 75.60 per cent, followed by West district at 72.99 per cent and South-West at 72.89 per cent.
North-East and North-West districts each recorded around 70.68 per cent digitisation, while Central North stood at 68.63 per cent. Old Delhi recorded 66.29 per cent, East 63.64 per cent, North 63.71 per cent and Central district 61.75 per cent.
South-East district recorded the lowest digitisation rate at 55.44 per cent, while South and New Delhi districts were at around 60.6 per cent.
Key Dates For Delhi Voters
August 17: Last date for submission of enumeration forms and online applications.
August 24: Publication of draft electoral roll.
August 24 to September 23: Period for filing claims and objections and submitting Form-6 for new registrations.
October 27: Publication of final electoral roll.
For now, August 17 remains the most important deadline, while the period between August 24 and September 23 will be crucial for voters whose names do not appear in the draft list.
