Listen to this article:

New Delhi: Gaytri Devi, a resident of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk assembly constituency, has been a booth level agent (BLA) with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for over three decades, helping the party in identifying voters in the area and ensuring they are part of electoral rolls before elections. Yet when the draft list of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was published on August 31, the 74-year-old found herself excluded along with every other member of her booth, barring one elector. The Lal Quila Yamuna Bridge polling booth now has only one elector on the draft list, against the total 729 who were there prior to the SIR.

Gaytri Devi, a resident of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk assembly constituency, has been a booth level agent (BLA) with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for over three decades. Her name is missing from the draft electoral roll. Photo: Special Arrangement.

According to records uploaded by the Delhi chief electoral officer, minutes of the meeting held by the assistant electoral registration officer (AERO) on the uncollectable enumeration forms with BLAs on August 11 show that while a total of 729 electors existed prior to the SIR in part 33 of Chandni Chowk assembly constituency, following the exercise only one elector made it to the draft list. While the minutes of the meeting also say that two BLAs of political parties attended the meeting, the document only bears the signature of the BLA from the BJP.

The document further lists that of the total 729 electors, one was absent, 632 had shifted, 42 were dead and ten were duplicate. Another 43 electors have been categorised as ‘Others (refused to sign EF, demolished etc)’.

Gaytri Devi, who was not working as BLA during the SIR process, is on number five on the draft roll ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Duplicate or Deceased) list, has been marked as........

© The Wire