Under Delhi's ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), enumeration forms have been delivered to roughly 1.40 crore voters, yet the homeless remain the toughest segment to verify. Identity cards often list only a pillar number or a vague landmark, leaving Booth Level Officers (BLOs) unable to pinpoint residences and prompting fears of deletion from the roll.

Background and Current Timeline

The electoral roll was frozen on June 16, containing about 1.45 crore names. As part of the month‑long door‑to‑door drive, 1.40 crore enumeration forms have been handed out, but only 14.03 lakh have been digitised so far. The enumeration phase ends on July 29, followed by a draft roll on August 5 and the final roll on October 7.

Specific Hardships Faced by Homeless Voters

Most homeless voters possess only an Aadhaar number and a voter ID, lacking prior SIR records, parents' voter IDs, birth certificates or school certificates. Many elderly voters cannot recall their own or their parents' details, and several have lost contact with families after years of migration. Consequently, BLOs frequently mark such entries as “shifted” after repeated failed attempts to locate them.

Challenges for BLOs on the Ground

BLOs report multiple visits to areas with high homeless populations, yet vague address data—often just a district or village name—makes the search arduous. Eviction drives force many to change locations regularly, compounding the difficulty. Time constraints prevent officers from spending hours on a single case, leading to a pragmatic yet imperfect approach.

Personal Accounts

Iqbal Khan, 30, lives with his wife and children on a footpath along Lodhi Road. His enumeration form lists the address as “Homeless, Institutional Area, Lodhi Road, Delhi.” While his photo and signature appear on the form, the section asking for previous SIR details remains blank. His wife, Bibi Halima Khatun, was initially confused about the purpose of the exercise, fearing it was aimed at identifying Bangladeshis or other immigrants for removal.

Another respondent, a 60‑year‑old shelter resident named Nainkumari, moved to Delhi three decades ago and no longer has family records. She worries that any mismatch in her name could jeopardize her pension, which relies on her Aadhaar and voter ID.

Implications and Future Outlook

If the verification hurdles remain unresolved, a significant number of homeless voters could lose their voting rights, deepening social exclusion and eroding confidence in the electoral process. Experts advocate for a more flexible documentation policy and targeted assistance programs to safeguard the franchise of India’s most vulnerable citizens.