Delhi Election Commission Designates ADMs and SDMs as Electoral Registration Officers
The Election Commission of India has taken a significant administrative step by appointing additional district magistrates (ADMs) and sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) as electoral registration officers (EROs) for all 70 Assembly constituencies in Delhi. This move comes in preparation for the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the national capital, which is scheduled to commence in April 2026.
Preparatory Work Underway for Electoral Roll Revision
In February, the commission communicated with the chief electoral officer of Delhi and other relevant officials, emphasizing that the SIR process "is expected to start on April 2026" and urging them to expedite preparatory tasks. An official involved in the process revealed that the Delhi CEO's office is currently engaged in mapping the electoral rolls from 2025 with voter details dating back to the base year of 2002.
This mapping exercise involves booth-level officers (BLOs) who are meticulously checking voter names across Delhi. They are identifying individuals whose names, or those of their family members such as parents or grandparents, appear in both the 2025 and 2002 electoral rolls. Voters whose names do not appear in both records will be required to submit enumeration forms once the SIR is officially launched.
Logistical Preparations and Manpower Deployment
Officials have confirmed that the printing of enumeration forms has already begun, with plans to distribute them citywide upon the launch of the SIR exercise. Delhi boasts a total of 13,033 polling stations, supported by approximately 17,000 BLOs. During the Assembly elections held in February 2025, the capital had around 1.5 crore registered voters.
In a related development, a notification has specified that the same officers serving as EROs will also act as returning officers for the Assembly constituencies. Additionally, district magistrates in Delhi have been designated as district election officers (DEOs) for the 13 districts, reflecting recent administrative changes that increased the number of districts from 11 to 13.
Addressing Potential Manpower Challenges
The CEO's office has proactively addressed potential staffing issues by requesting the Delhi government to exempt teachers deployed as BLOs from census duties. This measure aims to prevent any disruption to the crucial SIR-related work. In a letter to the Delhi government's revenue department, the office highlighted that approximately 7,500 teachers from the Directorate of Education and Municipal Corporation of Delhi are currently serving as BLOs, supervisors, and other ministerial staff.
The concern arises from the simultaneous rollout of the SIR and the first phase of the upcoming census in 2027, both set to begin in April. These large-scale administrative operations are expected to strain manpower resources, as they heavily rely on government field staff such as teachers, clerks, and other departmental employees who typically serve as enumerators and booth-level workers.
As Delhi gears up for these parallel exercises, the Election Commission's appointments and preparatory efforts underscore the importance of maintaining accurate and updated electoral rolls to ensure smooth democratic processes in the capital.
