An analysis of Delhi CEO data shows 13.39 lakh names removed during the preparatory pre‑SIR mapping period (Jan–Jun 2026), contributing to a wider shrinkage of the electoral roll ahead of Phase‑3 Special Intensive Revision.
13.39 lakh voter names were deleted in Delhi between January and June 2026 during pre‑SIR mapping — the largest deletions among Phase‑3 states.
Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi called the scale of pre‑SIR deletions “highly unusual” and urged public disclosure of names and reasons.
# What happened
Delhi's electoral roll saw a large wave of deletions during the five‑month preparatory period before the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Phase‑3 started. Official data on the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) website, as analysed by The Hindu, shows 13.39 lakh voter names removed between January and June 2026 during pre‑SIR mapping conducted by booth‑level officers (BLOs).
# How big the change was
At the time of the February 2025 Assembly election, Delhi's electorate was 1.56 crore. By the freeze on June 16, 2026, it stood at 1.45 crore — a net drop of 11.03 lakh names. The pre‑SIR mapping deletions accounted for 93% of the decrease recorded in that preparatory period. After the SIR draft roll published on August 31, an additional 47.56 lakh names were deleted, so more than a third of the 2025 electorate is no longer listed in recent drafts.
# What the data shows month by month
The CEO's monthly polling summary shows deletion counts but does not provide reasons for deletions in the pre‑SIR phase. Deletions spiked during the preparatory months, with April 2026 recording the highest single‑month deletions at 3.39 lakh names. By contrast, the February–December 2025 period registered only about 75,313 net deletions.
# Who said what
S.Y. Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India, described the pre‑SIR deletions in Delhi as "highly unusual" and "unprecedented," and said the Election Commission should publish the list of names removed and explain the reasons.
# Reported consequences and local examples
The publicly available pre‑SIR deletion summaries do not indicate deletion reasons (absent, shifted, dead, duplicate) for names removed during preparatory mapping. The ASDD lists that follow the SIR enumeration phase do include reasons, but the pre‑SIR deletions lack that level of transparency in the datasets posted on the CEO website.
# Why it matters
# Immediate administrative responses
The CEO office says notices were issued to registered addresses through speed post and that sufficient time was given for responses. Beyond that statement, officials cited continuous updation as the administrative basis for removals but did not provide a detailed public breakdown of deletion categories for the pre‑SIR period.
It is estimated that six crores of the 36 crore names in the electoral rolls in 16 states and three Union territories which conducted the SIR have been deleted in the third phase. The National Capital Territory of Delhi perhaps bore the worst brunt when it saw one in every three voters there being declared ineligible t
The third phase was carried out in 16 States and 3 Union Territories. Draft rolls of all these States have been published, except for Nagaland and Tripura
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