NationalTuesday, 8 September 2026·The Hindu - National
Delhi electoral roll deletions before SIR: 13.39 lakh names removed in 2026 pre-revision phase
Delhi saw 13.39 lakh voter deletions between January and June 2026 before the SIR draft phase, the highest such pre-revision drop among Phase-3 States.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In June 2026, Delhi’s electoral roll was frozen at 1.45 crore after the special intensive revision (SIR) preparatory phase, and The Hindu reported that 13.39 lakh names had already been deleted before the SIR draft process began.
Key specifics
- Delhi’s electorate stood at 1.56 crore in February 2025 Assembly elections, showing a fall of 11.03 lakh by June 16, 2026.
- About 93% of the deletions happened during the five-month pre-SIR mapping phase, before the draft roll was published on August 31, 2026.
- The draft roll after SIR deleted a further 47.56 lakh names, taking total removals to 37.6% of the 2025 electorate.
- Between January and June 2026, 1.65 lakh names were added and 2.83 lakh voters’ details were modified, but the net roll still shrank by 10.28 lakh.
- Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi called the pre-SIR deletions “highly unusual” and “unprecedented”.
Exam lens
Polity and election-roll revision question: SIR, ASDD list, pre-SIR mapping, 1.56 crore to 1.45 crore, 13.39 lakh deletions, 47.56 lakh draft deletions — a likely TNPSC one-liner on voter-list revision and electoral transparency.