A non‑profit organisation has raised concerns over the low enrolment of homeless voters during Delhi’s recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive, highlighting gaps in outreach and accessibility.
The Centre for Holistic Development (CHD), which facilitated a two‑day enrolment campaign earlier this month, wrote to Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ashok Kumar stating that only 747 applications for re‑inclusion into the electoral rolls were received at special camps. This figure is far below the NGO’s estimate of over 10,000 homeless voters in the city before the drive began.
Special camps were organised on September 23 and 24 across 130 Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB)‑run shelter homes in 43 Assembly constituencies. Despite the effort, CHD flagged several challenges including weak outreach, language barriers, low literacy levels, and mistrust of formal processes, which may have discouraged participation.
The NGO stressed that without stronger engagement, thousands of homeless citizens risk being excluded from the democratic process. Advocates have urged authorities to intensify awareness campaigns, simplify documentation requirements, and build trust among vulnerable communities to ensure their voices are represented in upcoming elections.
