New Delhi: Nearly 475 of the 728 voters whose names have been deleted in JJ Bela Estate in Chandni Chowk have submitted applications for inclusion in the final SIR roll, Delhi election officials said Tuesday. A row has erupted over the deletion of 728 out of the 729 registered voters in booth no. 38 from the draft roll under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision in Delhi.“This is not SIR — this is a way of stealing votes,” leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi wrote on X after visiting the area Monday. “There are 728 people living in Bela Estate along Yamuna. After the SIR, only one name remains on the voter list… These people have been living here for decades. They voted in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections. Their homes were demolished in 2023 — but they never left; they are still here,” he said.TOI highlighted the deletion in a story on Sept 10. Officials have clarified that the names were deleted as most of these electors were found to be not residing at the registered addresses, which were unauthorised and demolished in 2022-23. Under SIR, booth-level officers (BLOs) undertook house-to-house visits for distribution of the enumeration forms at their addresses registered on the electoral roll. “As per rules, the BLO correctly placed these electors in the ASDD (absent, shifted, deceased and duplicate) list,” said an official.“Special camps were organised recently under Geeta Colony bridge where these people currently stay to facilitate their inclusion,” said an official. “Nearly 475 out of the 728 people submitted Form 6. The forms are being verified by BLOs, following which they will be enrolled as voters. They are being added as homeless voters and they will be linked to the same polling booth because that is the closest booth to where they currently stay,” he added.Following the demolition, many of the people from JJ Bela Estate started living under Geeta Colony bridge. Such electors may apply in Form 6 for inclusion as fresh voters along with documentary proof, the official said. Forms can be submitted till Oct 30.
