SIR: At 16.3%, Haryana records 3rd-highest deletion in draft stage

Wait 5 sec.

Election officials said after verification of documents, such voters will be allowed to retain their registration at only one location, while duplicate entries will be removed.THE DRAFT roll of Haryana’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) published on Friday showed 16.39% deletions, the third-highest among states where the exercise has been held so far.Only Arunachal Pradesh, where the draft SIR electoral roll was published on July 21, and Uttar Pradesh, where the drive was completed in April this year, have recorded higher deletions in the draft stage at 19.09% and 18.7% respectively.According to a statement released by the state’s Chief Electoral Officer, 83.61% of the state’s registered voters had submitted their enumeration forms, making it to the draft roll. The remaining 16.39% electors were marked shifted/absent/others, deceased and enrolled at multiple places, leading to their deletion from the draft roll.Currently, the third phase of the SIR is on in 16 states and three UTs, with 10 states and three UTs having completed the exercise so far. The draft roll of Andhra Pradesh was also published Friday, showing 10.78% deletions.Data released by the Haryana Election Department shows that “as on July 24, 2026, out of 2,06,55,929 electors, a total of 1,72,72,627 electors have submitted their Enumeration Forms, reflecting overwhelming participation during the Enumeration Phase of SIR”, which is approximately 83.6% of the state’s total electorate.According to officials, “as part of the exercise, BLOs carried out door-to-door verification of registered voters across the state. The department described the campaign as one of the most comprehensive voter verification drives undertaken so far”.During the verification process, 24.13 lakh voters, representing 11.68% of the electorate, could not be traced at their registered addresses. According to the election department, many of these individuals had relocated to another city or state, had been absent for an extended period, or failed to submit their enumeration forms within the stipulated timeframe.Story continues below this adThe exercise also revealed that 7.66 lakh voters, or 3.71% of the electorate, were deceased. In addition, 2.04 lakh voters, accounting for 0.99% of the electorate, were found to have their names registered in the electoral rolls of two or more constituencies.Election officials said after verification of documents, such voters will be allowed to retain their registration at only one location, while duplicate entries will be removed.The Election Department emphasised that the objective of the SIR is not merely to enroll new voters but to create a clean, reliable and up-to-date electoral roll by removing the names of deceased, migrated and duplicate voters. The revised voter list will serve as the basis for conducting the upcoming elections.The department also clarified that voters whose names have been omitted or whose enumeration forms could not be collected need not be concerned.Story continues below this adA claims and objections period will be held from July 31 to August 30, 2026, during which eligible citizens can submit applications along with the required documents. During this period, voters will be able to apply for inclusion of their names, request deletions or corrections, or file objections against any entry in the electoral roll. A total of 90 EROs and 1,601 AEROs will be scrutinising such cases.According to the Election Department, all claims and objections received during the designated period will undergo detailed scrutiny before a final decision is taken. Only after this verification process is completed will the final electoral roll be published.“The successful completion of the enumeration phase is the result of coordinated efforts of District Election Officers of all 23 districts, 90 EROs, 1,594 AEROs, 2,244 BLO Supervisors and 20,629 BLOs deployed at 20,629 polling stations, supported by volunteers,” the Election Commission said in a release issued this evening.