NEW DELHI: The upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Delhi’s electoral roll is transforming into a sweeping verification exercise that will compel millions of city residents to prove their citizenship and local residency to retain their right to vote.

As per officials involved in the planning, the exercise will put nearly 68 lakh voters under the scanner, effectively testing their eligibility to remain on the electoral rolls. As reported by TNIE on Sunday, July 6, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has notified March 2008 as the cut-off date for the revision, aligning Delhi’s process with a similar and controversial effort already underway in Bihar.

Delhi had 1.06 crore registered voters in 2008, a number that has surged to 1.56 crore in the latest electoral roll published in January this year. Over the past 17 years, officials say around 18 lakh voters have either died or migrated. A roughly equal number has been added in successive revisions, bringing the net number of new or altered entries close to 68 lakh. The figure is over 40 per cent of the current electors.

“We omit at least a lakh names every year from the rolls due to death or migration. If we consider the difference in the voter count between 2008 and now, it conservatively adds up to 70 lakh individuals whose credentials need review,” said a senior poll official.