Archive · 20 Sep 2026
Why Delhi’s SIR Notice Included Deceased Economist Bibek Debroy
Bibek Debroy was an economist who died in November 2024.
His name was still shown on a Delhi voter list in 2026.
Officials could not match his record with the older voter list from 2002.
That is why his name appeared on a notice list.
The notice was part of a checking process and did not mean officials thought he was alive.
Election officials said Debroy’s name had been specially kept in the draft because he was on a flagged list.
They said his name will be removed from the final voter list.
Many other Delhi voters also received notices because of missing matches or information problems.
Bibek Debroy’s name appeared in Delhi’s draft electoral roll and SIR notice list despite his death in November 2024.
His record was marked “unmapped with last SIR,” meaning it could not be matched with the previous 2002 electoral roll.
Election officials said Debroy’s name was retained in the draft because he was on a flagged list covered by Election Commission instructions.
Officials said his name will be excluded from the final electoral roll after the verification process.
Delhi’s SIR notices targeted about 33.13 lakh electors over unmapped records or other discrepancies.
- Who
- Bibek Debroy, a deceased economist and former chairman of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, was named in the notice list.
- What
- His name appeared in Delhi’s draft electoral roll and was flagged as having no mapping with the previous SIR roll.
- When
- During Delhi’s 2026 SIR process; the draft roll was released on August 31 and the notice list was published on September 18.
- Where
- Polling part 73 of the Delhi Cantonment Assembly constituency, Delhi.
- Why
- His record could not be matched with the previous 2002 SIR electoral roll, and officials said Election Commission instructions required flagged personalities to remain in the draft for document verification.
Election Officials’ Explanation
Concerns Raised by the Record
Why Debroy’s name appeared
Election Officials’ Explanation
Officials said Election Commission instructions required names on a flagged list of prominent public figures, including Debroy, to be included in the draft so supporting documents could be collected during claims and objections.
Concerns Raised by the Record
Debroy had died in November 2024, yet his name remained in the 2025 electoral roll and was not removed during later revision, mapping, or enumeration stages.
Meaning of the notice
Election Officials’ Explanation
Officials described the notice as part of verification for records that could not be mapped to the previous SIR roll; it was not an allegation that Debroy was alive or had acted improperly.
Concerns Raised by the Record
The notice exposed a discrepancy between the known death of a voter and the continued presence of his name in the draft roll.
What happens next
Election Officials’ Explanation
A senior poll officer said Debroy’s name will be excluded from the final electoral roll after the process.
Concerns Raised by the Record
The published draft and notice list still contained his name while the claims, objections, and verification process remained scheduled to continue until September 30.
- Date of death
- Bibek Debroy died in November 2024 at age 69.
- Draft-roll entry
- The draft roll listed him as a 70-year-old voter.
- Electoral location
- Polling part 73, Delhi Cantonment Assembly constituency.
- Flagging reason
- His record was marked “unmapped with last SIR.”
- Previous SIR roll
- The relevant earlier electoral roll was prepared during Delhi’s 2002 SIR.
- Draft electorate
- Nearly 97 lakh voters were included in Delhi’s draft electoral rolls.
- Notice total
- About 33.13 lakh electors were marked for notices, and more than 31.63 lakh notices had been served.
- Final action
- A senior poll official said Debroy’s name will be excluded from the final list.
