Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has raised a fresh allegation against the Election Commission of India over Delhi’s electoral roll revision.
Gandhi alleged that 727 of 728 voters in Bela Estate lost their names from the voter list during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He described the alleged deletions as another example of what he calls “vote theft”.
Gandhi raised the issue after visiting residents of Bela Estate, a settlement near the Yamuna in Delhi. He also shared a video of his interaction with residents and a phone conversation with a local Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM).
Only one name remains, Gandhi claims
According to Gandhi, 728 people currently live in Bela Estate. He claimed that only one name remained on the voter list after the SIR exercise.
He said the affected residents have lived in the area for decades. Gandhi also claimed that many of them voted in both the 2024 Lok Sabha election and the 2025 Delhi Assembly election.
The Congress leader said authorities demolished their homes in 2023. However, he argued that the residents did not leave the area and continued to live nearby.
Gandhi questioned why losing a permanent house should affect a person’s voting rights.
Gandhi questions ‘House Number 0’ provision
During his interaction with the residents, Gandhi also referred to the provision for homeless voters.
He said having a house should not determine whether a person can vote. Gandhi pointed to the “House Number 0” provision for homeless citizens and questioned why the affected residents had lost their names from the electoral roll.
He argued that the residents should retain their voting rights even if they no longer have permanent houses.
Gandhi said the Bela Estate case showed what he described as the problems created by the SIR process. He called the exercise a “method of vote theft” and said it could take away an important political right from vulnerable citizens.
Bela Estate had more voters in earlier records
The figures surrounding Bela Estate have also drawn attention.
The polling part covering the area reportedly had 729 registered voters before the SIR exercise. When Delhi published its draft electoral roll on August 31, 2026, only one name appeared in that polling part.
That means 728 names from the earlier electoral record did not appear in the draft list. Gandhi’s latest claim focuses on 728 residents, of whom he says 727 lost their names.
The distinction between the figures reflects the difference between the earlier electoral-roll count and the number of residents Gandhi cited during his visit.
Delhi SIR has removed millions of names from draft roll
The Bela Estate case comes amid a much larger revision of Delhi’s electoral rolls.
According to the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s office, around 47.7 lakh names were absent from the draft electoral roll published on August 31. The earlier roll contained around 1.45 crore voters.
Officials opened a claims-and-objections period after publishing the draft list. People whose names do not appear can seek inclusion by submitting Form 6 along with the required declaration and supporting documents.
The process gives voters an opportunity to challenge their exclusion before authorities prepare the final electoral roll.
Election Commission faces wider political scrutiny
Gandhi’s allegation comes during an intense political dispute over the Election Commission and the SIR process.
Opposition parties have raised questions about voter deletions and the procedures used during the electoral-roll revision. The controversy has also intensified following reports of disagreements within the Election Commission over certain SIR-related decisions.
The Election Commission has defended its procedures and said the SIR follows established rules for updating electoral rolls.
The BJP has rejected Gandhi’s wider allegations and described his claims against the Election Commission as baseless. BJP leaders have also defended the voter-roll revision process.
Claims and objections process remains important
The status of the 727 names cited by Gandhi will depend on the official claims-and-objections process.
Eligible residents whose names do not appear in the draft roll can submit applications for inclusion. Election authorities can then examine the documents and other information before deciding whether to add the names to the final electoral roll.
This process provides an avenue for residents affected by the draft-roll exclusions to challenge the decision.
The Bela Estate case therefore remains part of an ongoing administrative process rather than a final determination of voting eligibility.
Political debate over ‘vote theft’ continues
Gandhi has made “vote theft” a central theme of his criticism of the Election Commission in recent weeks. He has linked the phrase to concerns about electoral-roll revisions and alleged irregularities in the voter-list process.
The BJP and the Election Commission have rejected the broader allegations, while opposition parties continue to demand greater transparency in electoral processes.
The Bela Estate episode has now added a specific local example to that wider debate. Gandhi’s claim centres on the alleged removal of 727 voters, while the authorities’ electoral-roll process provides a mechanism for affected people to seek inclusion.
As Delhi moves towards finalising its revised electoral roll, the outcome of claims and objections from Bela Estate and other affected areas will remain closely watched.