NEW DELHI: New polling stations are likely to be added across Delhi following a rationalisation exercise being undertaken as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, election officials said on Friday.
This is to ensure that no polling station has more than 1,200 electors, the revised ceiling prescribed by the Election Commission to reduce queues and improve facilities for voters.
The earlier limit was 1,500. According to officials, pre-SIR data shows that several existing polling stations have more than 1,200 electors. District election officers have consequently submitted proposals to revise the distribution of voters and create additional stations wherever required.
Once approved, voters will be tagged to the newly created polling stations through the election IT system, officials said. Delhi currently has 13,033 polling stations, spread across around 3,000 polling locations in 13 districts.
Officials said the new polling stations or locations will, as far as possible, remain within a two-kilometre radius of the existing ones. The rationalisation is being carried out using Delhi’s pre-SIR electoral database, which contained around 1.45 crore electors when the rolls were frozen on June 16.
As a result of technical work involved in polling-station rationalisation, the SIR timetable stands revised. The draft electoral roll will now be published on August 31, while the final roll is scheduled for November 4, instead of the earlier October 27 deadline.
The period for filing claims and objections will run from August 31 to September 30, with officials required to dispose of them by October 29. The SIR exercise began on June 30.
Timetable stands revised, final rolls on Nov 4
The rationalisation is being carried out using Delhi’s pre-SIR electoral database, which contained around 1.45 cr electors when the rolls were frozen on June 16. As a result of technical work, the SIR timetable stands revised. The draft roll will now be published on August 31, while the final roll is scheduled for November 4.
