Residents say the issue is not simply how long they have lived here or whether they have voted before, but where their address is recorded
In one such jhuggi lives Dulari Devi (48). Residents of the Bela Estate jhuggis say the names of 728 voters there have been removed. A walking path connects the temple to the cluster, residents say, though reaching the cluster by car from the temple can take up to 10 minutes. Next, she holds up the 2002 electoral roll. Since then, Kamal has kept photocopies of more than 500 SIR forms submitted by residents, along with signed copies of BLO registers. We showed records from 1961, 1975, 2002 and 2025, but they weren’t accepted,” he said. If an elector’s name, or that of a parent or grandparent, cannot be linked to Delhi’s 2002 SIR roll, the form can still be submitted without those details. Residents can submit Form 6, with the required clarification and documents, for inclusion at the new address, officials said.
Because of how difficult it was for officials to reach the cluster, kamal, another resident, said he became involved in the verification exercise. Because this is a kachcha (temporary) area, “The SDM said our names would be removed. But she now finds her name missing from the draft roll released by the office of chief election officer, Delhi. Giri confirmed his name was in the draft roll but declined to comment further. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in Delhi Stay updated with the latest Delhi news.
She said she got married here and raised her children here; she says. “I voted here for years,” she says. This lone voter lives in what residents of the jhuggi describe as a more “permanent” home, which is a Hanuman temple compound closer to the main road. “See, my name is there in SIR 2002,” she says. Her name is now gone, with the words “permanently shifted” appearing alongside it. Election Commission officials, meanwhile, said the issue was linked to address proof. The cluster, officials said, has undergone demolitions and is no longer an authorised settlement. So, I was called to assist the BLO around the end of June,” he said. “Some are marked absent, some shifted and some permanently shifted,” he said. Then there is Jitendra, another resident who says he has spent his life here. My wife’s name is not in the draft roll either,” he said. If our right to vote is also taken away, where will we go?” he said. In areas that have seen repeated demolitions, where jhuggis are removed and their numbers change, identifying a valid registered address becomes difficult,” an EC official said.
NEW DELHI: There is only a hint of a settlement that lies beyond a lush green patch as you look out towards Yamuna floodplain near Vijay Ghat. A narrow, bumpy road, slick after recent rains, slowly reveals a cluster of jhuggis. At first, a lone house appears. Then two more. They come into view bit by bit, tucked behind trees, away from the main road. For as long as she remembers, the area called Bela Estate has been her home. And she is not alone. Only one name remains – Mahant Kanchan Giri. At the jhuggi cluster, Dulari Devi reaches for a set of neatly stacked papers. Among them is the enumeration form she submitted a few weeks ago. As per the rolls, her son and daughter-in-law have also shifted. Bela Estate is among the jhuggi clusters in the city that have been demolished over the past three years under court orders, which decided the houses were encroaching upon the floodplain. ‘We showed old records, but they weren’t accepted’ For families here, the omissions have come as a shock. Residents say the issue is not simply how long they have lived here or whether they have voted before, but where their address is recorded. “No one could have reached our home on their own. “I could have shown my education records. I was born here and have lived here. For him, the uncertainty is about more than the latest electoral roll. “Demolition can happen anytime. The situation is already uncertain. We didn’t get any notices. SIR rules require BLOs to visit households, distribute preprinted enumeration forms in duplicate and make at least three visits to collect them. One copy is retained by the BLO and the acknowledged copy given to the elector. The ERO may then seek supporting documents during the notice phase. The area BLO and SDM did not respond to calls or messages sent by TOI. “In SIR, the registered address is crucial for verification. Download the TOI App.