Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 29: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that 727 of 728 residents of Bela Estate on the banks of the Yamuna had been removed from the electoral roll following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.
Gandhi made the allegation after visiting a settlement in Bela Estate and speaking to residents. In a post accompanying a video of his visit, he claimed that only one name remained on the voter list after the SIR exercise. He also questioned the Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the deletion of the names.
According to Gandhi, the residents had been living in the area for decades and had voted in the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2025 Delhi Assembly elections. He said their homes were demolished in 2023, but claimed they continued to live in the same locality.
The Election Commission, however, said the matter had already been addressed by the concerned Electoral Registration Officer (ERO). It said the deletions followed verification by Booth Level Officers, who had marked the affected electors as DSDD (Demolished Structure/Demolished Dwelling) after finding that they were no longer residing at their registered addresses.
According to the poll panel, the Bela Estate area falls under polling station number 38 (old PS 33) on the western bank of the Yamuna. Agricultural activities in the area were discontinued in 2021, while dwelling units were demolished during 2022-23. Following this, 728 electors were deleted from the electoral roll.
The ECI said some of the affected electors subsequently shifted to temporary tarpaulin tents beneath the Geeta Colony Bridge. It noted that homeless persons can be enrolled as electors under the relevant provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and electoral-roll guidelines.
The poll panel said special camps were organised on September 18 and 20 at JJ Bela Estate and Vijay Ghat, where 496 Form 6 applications were received. The applications are being processed and will be decided after verification by Booth Level Officers.
The ECI said those who have not yet submitted Form 6 can apply online or offline to seek inclusion in the electoral roll. It also said the deadline for filing claims and objections in Delhi had been extended to October 30, 2026.
Eligible persons whose names are missing from the draft electoral roll can submit Form 6 along with the required declaration and supporting documents. The forms can be submitted to the ERO, Assistant Electoral Registration Officer or Booth Level Officer, or online through the Election Commission's voter services platform.