Four Uttarakhand districts account for 85% of SIR deletion requests
Official data show four districts in Uttarakhand generated the majority of Form-7 deletion applications during the SIR claims-and-objections window, as the EC extended the disposal deadline and final rolls were rescheduled.
Key takeaways
- Udham Singh Nagar, Haridwar, Dehradun and Nainital hold over 85% of Form-7 deletion applications during Uttarakhand's SIR window.
- The disposal period was extended from September 9 to September 28, with final rolls slated for October 3.
- Across the state, about 1.3 lakh Form-7 deletion requests were filed between July 14 and August 13, with a large backlog still pending disposal.
What Happened
The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Uttarakhand’s electoral rolls is under way, with a claims-and-objections disposal window that began on July 14. The period’s original end date of September 9 was extended to September 28, and the final voter list is now scheduled for publication on October 3. Under this process, residents can file Form-7 to add, delete, or correct names in the draft roll before it becomes final. The Commission has noted the expanded timeframe will be used to finish disposing of pending claims and objections, as stated by Uttarakhand’s Chief Electoral Officer.
Data reviewed by The Indian Express show that more than 1.3 lakh Form-7 applications seeking deletion were submitted during the disposal window. In terms of district concentration, Udham Singh Nagar accounted for 43,878 applications, Haridwar for 29,369, Dehradun for 19,402, and Nainital for 18,301. Together, these four districts comprise more than 85% of all Form-7 applications filed during the disposal period. The state has 13 districts in total.
At the start of the draft roll, published July 14, the state listed 71.33 lakh electors, which was nearly 8.25 lakh fewer than the final roll for the 2022 Assembly elections (79.58 lakh). The draft also highlighted 19.04 lakh voter records with discrepancies, with Dehradun, Haridwar, and Udham Singh Nagar among the districts with the highest numbers. Additionally, 8.32 lakh electors were identified under the ASD category (absent, shifted, or dead), prompting fresh booth-level verification orders.
During July 14 to August 13, a total of 1,30,382 Form-7 applications were received across the state, but only 44,132 had been disposed of by the time data were compiled, leaving 86,250 still in process. The backlog is most pronounced in the four districts noted above, with Udham Singh Nagar reporting 34,903 applications still under process, Haridwar 17,554, Nainital 11,498, and Dehradun 11,262. Udham Singh Nagar alone accounts for about one-third of all Form-7 applications in the state, with 8,975 of 43,878 disposed as of September 7. In Haridwar, 11,815 of 29,369 had been disposed; in Nainital, 6,803 of 18,301; and in Dehradun, 8,140 of 19,402. A Form-7 objection does not automatically lead to deletion; an Electoral Registration Officer must conduct an inquiry, allow a response, and issue an order, with Booth Level Officers required to carry out field verification.
In July, Uttarakhand’s draft roll also included 69,231 electors in an “others” category, which the state CEO described as individuals who had refused to submit or sign enumeration forms. The Commission had indicated a need to re-examine such cases to prevent eligible voters from being deleted. The article notes this is part of the broader revision process and its workload, though the latter details are not fully elaborated in the available material.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
