Area election officers flagged sharp voter dip in Delhi Cantt and New Delhi. (File Image)
Over five years, the number of voters in two neighbouring constituencies in Delhi has decreased significantly. In Delhi Cantonment, the number of registered voters has decreased by 50,445 — a drop of 39%. In the New Delhi constituency, the decrease is 36,879 — a drop of over 25%.
There has been a significant increase, on the other hand, in constituencies near Delhi’s borders with Haryana. While Bawana has seen the highest increase — 62,413 have been added to the voter list between 2020 and 2024 — followed by Chhatarpur, where 40,734 voters have been added.
Area election officers also flagged the sharp voter dip in Delhi Cantt and New Delhi.
In a letter to the SDM (Election) New Delhi district, the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) flagged the difference between the projected population and registered voters in the Delhi Cantt seat. “Delhi Cantt is spread over the Army cantonment area and VIP areas such as New Moti Bagh, Chanakyapuri, etc… Names of Army personnel, who had been transferred, were deleted, however, new names were not added frequently even after organising special camps in the area… Army personnel prefer to be service voters as many Army units are used to transfer/shift after a specific period,” the AERO wrote.
The officer also pointed to the reluctance among migrant labourers to get registered as voters in Delhi. Another reason the officer cited for the low registered voter number was the demolition of government accommodation in Netaji Nagar.
As per the officer, 45,000 names were deleted from the electoral roll between 2020 and 2022 and another 14,500 in 2023.
In New Delhi, the demolition of several government houses, including those occupied by Central government officers, seems to be behind the decrease.
SDM (Election) New Delhi district, in a letter to the office of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer, flagged the low elector-to-population ratio, because of people having shifted. According to an election officer, houses in Sarojini Nagar, Bangla Sahib Road, Railway quarters and Raksha Bhawan servant quarters have been demolished, which led to a decrease in population.
“The areas where the number of voters had gone up are primarily those where new migrants have come in,” said an official from the office of the Delhi CEO.
Jatin Anand is an Assistant Editor with the national political bureau of The Indian Express. With over 16 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is a seasoned expert in national governance, electoral politics, and bureaucratic affairs. Having covered high-stakes beats including the Election Commission of India (ECI), intelligence, and urban development, Jatin provides authoritative analysis of the forces shaping Indian democracy. He is an alumnus of Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU) and the prestigious Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai, where he specialized in Print Journalism.
Expertise
High-Stakes Beat Coverage: Throughout his decade-and-a-half career, Jatin has covered some of the most sensitive and influential beats in the country, including:
The Election Commission of India (ECI): Monitoring electoral policy, reforms, and the conduct of national and state polls.
National Security & Intelligence: Reporting on the internal mechanisms and developments within India's security apparatus.
Urban Development: Analyzing the policies and bureaucratic processes driving the transformation of India’s cities.
National Political Bureau: In his current role, he tracks the intersection of policy and politics, offering deep-dive reporting on the Union government and national political movements.
Academic Credentials:
Zakir Husain Delhi College (DU): Alumnus of one of Delhi's premier institutions.
Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai: Specialized in Print Journalism at India's most prestigious journalism school. ... Read More
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