ECI rejects social media claims, says SIR notice does not amount to voter name deletion

New Delhi: The ECI on Sunday sought to counter misinformation on social media about SIR-related notices being sent to Delhi voters and clarified that issuing notices does not mean electors’ names will be deleted from the electoral rolls.

The Commission clarified in a statement that it is issuing system-generated notices to some categories of voters to correct their data in ECINET.

“No name can be deleted without giving an opportunity of being heard and a proper speaking and appealable order. Therefore, there is no existential crisis as is being brought out in Social and Print Media,” the Election Commission of India (ECI) said in a statement.

The ECI said it is issuing notices only to two categories of voters whose names appear in the Draft Electoral Rolls.

These two categories are those who could not be linked with the electoral roll of the last Intensive revision and those with logical discrepancies in their linking with the electoral roll of the last Intensive revision, the ECI said.

“List of electors to whom notices have been issued is available on the websites of CEO, Delhi and District Election Officers and Voter Centres. Link of the notices is available on the website of CEO, Delhi at https://ceodelhi.nic.in/ceodelhiweb/Notices_Issued_in.aspx,” said the statement.

“All stakeholders are hereby informed that the issuance of notice does not mean that their names will be deleted from the electoral rolls of NCT of Delhi,” said the Commission.

The ECI said that upon receipt of notices, these electors may submit reply/requisite documents to the ERO/BLO concerned.

“It is pertinent to mention that the list of documents prescribed by ECI is only indicative, not exhaustive. EROs, being the statutory authority, will take a final decision based on the available documents and report of BLO,” it said.

“The disposal of notices will be completed by November 29 as per schedule of SIR 2026, and names of such electors will be included in the Final Electoral Roll to be published on November 4,” the ECI said.

The ECI has reportedly served notices to nearly 32 lakh voters to prove eligibility for inclusion in voter rolls. Prominent people whose names appear in the draft list but who have been issued notices for discrepancies include Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj, former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and ex-Deputy CM Manish Sisodia.

Notices have also been issued to Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi, former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, and former Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi.

and former election commissioner S.S. Sandhu.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

IANS

[email protected]