Election Commission removes almost all voters from Delhi slum after homes demolished

The Election Commission clarified that the near-total removal of voters from the Bela Estate polling station resulted from the demolition of homes in the slum’s jhuggi-jhopri area, situated in ecologically sensitive Zone O on the Yamuna banks. Prior to a Special Intensive Revision, the area had 729 registered voters; after the review only one name remained, a deletion rate of roughly 99.8%. The Electoral Registration Officer’s office reported that most voter addresses were recorded simply as “Agriculture,” with illegal cultivation ending in 2021 and the physical structures being demolished during 2022-23, altering the residential status of the locality.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi publicly condemned the EC, labeling the action a method of vote theft and asserting that the long-time residents had participated in the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2025 Delhi elections. He emphasized that lack of a house should not affect voting rights, referencing the CEC’s own statement that “House Number 0” applies to the homeless. The episode highlights tensions between electoral administration and marginalized communities in Delhi.