Mapping errors in Bihar, Bengal SIR leave Delhi voters stranded

Election officials in Delhi reported that a technical glitch in the Statewise Integrated Register (SIR) for Bihar and West Bengal has left a sizable number of voters from those states unable to find their assigned polling booths. The problem surfaced early on polling day, when voters arriving at designated locations were told that their names did not appear on the electronic lists.

The discrepancy stems from mismatched geographic coordinates used in the SIR database, which incorrectly linked several Delhi constituencies to out‑of‑state polling stations. As a result, voters who had travelled to Delhi to cast their ballots were directed to non‑existent or distant booths, causing confusion and long queues.

Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer acknowledged the issue and instructed booth‑level staff to manually verify voter identities until the database could be corrected. Additional polling assistants were deployed to assist affected voters, and a temporary helpline was set up to guide them to the nearest functional booth.

Election observers noted that while the glitch affected a limited segment of the electorate, it highlighted the need for more rigorous testing of voter‑mapping software ahead of future elections.