NGO reports 747 applications from homeless voters at Delhi enrolment camps
The Centre for Holistic Development has told Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer that only 747 applications were received at special enrolment camps for homeless voters. The organisation cited weak outreach, language barriers, low literacy and mistrust, and said some applicants were asked for address proof despite election guidelines allowing homeless voters to register without it.
Only 747 applications for re-inclusion in Delhi’s electoral rolls were received at special camps for homeless voters, according to the Centre for Holistic Development, a non-profit organisation working with urban homeless citizens. The organisation wrote to Delhi Chief Electoral Officer Ashok Kumar on Wednesday, September 30, after facilitating a two-day enrolment drive at 130 Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board-run shelter homes across 43 Assembly constituencies. The camps were held on September 23 and 24 during the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
CHD general secretary Sunil Kumar Aledia said the low number of registrations could reflect weak outreach, language barriers, low literacy and mistrust of formal processes. He also cited limited awareness among Booth Level Officers and inadequate communication through Voter Registration and Enrolment Centres. According to Aledia, many residents were not informed about their eligibility, required documents or camp timings.
Aledia said CHD had submitted 747 forms but did not know how many would appear on the final electoral roll. He estimated that Delhi had more than 10,000 homeless voters before the revision began and said at least three such enrolment drives were needed each year. The organisation also raised concerns that applicants were asked to provide address proof.
Copies of address documents were attached to all 747 forms, CHD said, suggesting that the requirement had been applied broadly. The Election Commission’s Manual on Electoral Rolls 2023 states that homeless voters do not need documentary proof of address. A Booth Level Officer is required to verify residence using the address in Form 6, and a zero house number may be used for a homeless applicant.
However, Aledia said BLOs at two camps visited by The Hindu were unaware of the rule. Homeless voter Virendra Kaur said she was asked for address and date-of-birth documents. She said she had lost her Aadhaar, PAN, ration and bank documents in a fire and that an existing voter card contained a misspelling.
The supplied material does not include a response from the Delhi election authorities to CHD’s concerns or confirm how many homeless voters were excluded from the draft roll.
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