A non‑profit organization that organized a two‑day citywide enrolment drive for homeless voters earlier this month wrote to Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer Ashok Kumar on Wednesday, September 30, 2026. The letter noted that only 747 applications for re‑inclusion in the electoral rolls were received at the special camps. The Centre for Holistic Development (CHD), which works with urban homeless citizens, highlighted weak outreach, language barriers, low literacy and mistrust of formal processes as possible reasons for the very low registrations at the camps held in 130 Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB)‑run shelter homes across 43 assembly constituencies on September 23 and 24.
CHD’s general secretary, Sunil Kumar Aledia, wrote that limited awareness among Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and weak communication through Voter Registration and Enrolment Centres (VRECs) left many homeless residents unaware of their eligibility, required documents and camp timings. He added that 747 forms had been submitted, but it was unclear how many would ultimately be added to the final roll, and that at least three such drives would be needed in a year. This was the first time in five years that such camps had been set up in the capital.
The letter also raised concerns that homeless voters were being asked to provide documents contrary to Election Commission guidelines. According to the EC’s Manual on Electoral Rolls 2023, homeless voters need not provide documentary proof of address; a zero house number can be used and the applicant’s residence verified by a BLO. However, CHD reported that copies of address proofs were attached to all 747 enrolment forms, suggesting that all voters were asked to furnish such documents.
One resident, Virendra Kaur, 53, recounted being asked to produce documents to prove her address and date of birth, despite having lost most of her papers in a blaze that destroyed her makeshift house. She noted that her name was misspelt on her voter card, rendering it unusable for enrolment.
