With only around 63% of enumeration forms digitised in Delhi, the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday extended the door-to-door verification exercise under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls until August 17, delaying publication of the final electoral rolls to October 27. The extension comes with just four days left before the earlier August 8 deadline.Data released by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi, showed that only around 63% of the forms had been digitised by 8 pm on Tuesday.The enumeration phase, which began on June 30 and was originally scheduled to end on July 29, had already been extended once to August 8. It will now continue until August 17.In this phase, booth level officers (BLOs) conduct door-to-door visits to distribute enumeration forms, electors fill out their details and BLOs upload the details on the EC portal.The draft electoral rolls will now be published on August 24 instead of August 17. Claims and objections can be filed from August 24 to September 23 and will be disposed of by October 22. The final electoral rolls will now be published on October 27 instead of October 19.In a statement, the CEO’s office said the schedule had been revised “keeping in view the main objective of the SIR that ‘no eligible citizen is left out while no ineligible person is included in the electoral roll’” and to give electors more time to submit their enumeration forms. It also requested all electors, who are yet to submit their enumeration forms, to do the same at the earliest.Officials in the CEO’s office had earlier told The Indian Express that they expect 30-40% of names in Delhi’s electoral rolls to be deleted. “Delhi has a large population of migrant labourers, government employees and private sector professionals, all of whom move frequently and often do not update their addresses. This is why the deletions may exceed 30%,” an official had said.Story continues below this adNeighbouring Gurgaon, where the enumeration exercise just got over last week, also saw 29% of the electors getting excluded – the highest in Haryana.The extension in Delhi comes days after the EC similarly revised the SIR schedule in Odisha and Telangana.Delhi has over 1.45 crore registered voters. Among its districts, South East had the lowest digitisation rate at around 50%, followed by South (56%) and East (57%). Outer North (73%) and South West (71%) recorded the most digitisation of forms.The exercise, meanwhile, has become a political flashpoint.AAP leader Somnath Bharti on Monday alleged that BJP was using SIR to delete around 30 lakh genuine voters in Delhi. “The EC’s requirement for voters or their parents to be listed in the 2002 electoral roll is excluding lakhs of eligible voters. Among poorer sections, landlords often do not allow tenants to obtain any permanent address proof. Thus, names of many such tenants are being deleted from the electoral rolls,” he had said.Story continues below this adRejecting the charge, a senior BJP functionary said, “During elections, you will see many lower income electors returning to their villages to vote. They want to remain registered in their villages because they receive government benefits, such as financial assistance to build a toilet or a house, which they do not get in Delhi. Many people, especially those living in slums and low income colonies, have their names on electoral rolls in both places. One of those votes will now be deleted.” Devansh Mittal is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in the New Delhi City bureau. He reports on urban policy, civic governance, and infrastructure in the National Capital Region, with a growing focus on housing, land policy, transport, and the disruption economy and its social implications. Professional Background Education: He studied Political Science at Ashoka University. Core Beats: His reporting focuses on policy and governance in the National Capital Region, one of the largest urban agglomerations in the world. He covers housing and land policy, municipal governance, urban transport, and the interface between infrastructure, regulation, and everyday life in the city. Recent Notable Work His recent reporting includes in-depth examinations of urban policy and its on-ground consequences: An investigation into subvention-linked home loans that documented how homebuyers were drawn into under-construction projects through a “builder–bank” nexus, often leaving them financially exposed when delivery stalled. A detailed report on why Delhi’s land-pooling policy has remained stalled since 2007, tracing how fragmented land ownership, policy design flaws, and mistrust among stakeholders have kept one of the capital’s flagship urban reforms in limbo. A reported piece examining the collapse of an electric mobility startup and what it meant for women drivers dependent on the platform for livelihoods. Reporting Approach Devansh’s work combines on-ground reporting with analysis of government data, court records, and academic research. He regularly reports from neighbourhoods, government offices, and courtrooms to explain how decisions on housing, transport, and the disruption economy shape everyday life in the city. Contact X (Twitter): @devanshmittal_ Email: devansh.mittal@expressindia.com ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:New Delhi