India is one of the largest parliamentary democracies. The Republic of India consists of 29 states and 7 union territories. The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body which has total control over the election process as per Representative of People’s Act 1951. The Election Commission of India is responsible for conducting free and fair elections.

Indian Parliament consists of the President and two houses

• Lok Sabha or House of People
• Rajya Sabha or Council of State

General elections are normally conducted for every five years. By- election is conducted only if the constituency is vacant or if the representative resigns or due to the death of the representative. India has been divided 543 Parliamentary Constituency.Each constituency returns 1 Member of Parliament(MP) to the Lok Sabha. The constitution of India limits the size of Lok Sabha to 55o members. Two members are nominated by the President to represent the Anglo Indian community.

The members of Rajya Shaba are elected by the state Vidhan Sabha. At present there are 233 members of Rajya Sabha elected by the Vidhan Sabhas and 12 members are nominated by the President as representatives of literature, science, art and social services. Members of Rajya Sabha serve for 6 years. The election is staggered and one third of members are elected every 2 years.

The Election Commission of India has total control over all elections to the Parliament of India, to the state legislatures, to the office of the President and to the Office of the Vice-President. The Chief Election Commissioner is the Chairman of the Election Commission and is appointed by the President of India.

There are two types of elections conducted by the Election Commission of India. They are

• General Elections
• By- elections

The constitution gives control for states and union territories over their own government. The Vidhan Sabha or the Legislative Assembly is formed by directly elected members.

The Chief Election Commission controls the election process and services related to voting. Separate Election Commission is set up for every state. The Election Commission also creates awareness among citizens. The Election Commission of every state has set up their own website to efficiently render their services to the people.

CEO Delhi

With elections few weeks away, the Chief Election Commission of Delhi has created a user-friendly website to perform all voting-related tasks with ease. The number seats for Delhi in Lok Sabha is 7 and number of members in Delhi Vidhan Sabha is 70 members. People of Delhi can enroll online and the status of your application can also be checked in the website. CEO Delhi has also set up a helpline for any voting-related queries. Tasks like applying for a new voter ID card, checking the status of your application, checking your name in the voter’s list etc. can be done using the Voter’s Search Module.

CEO Delhi has also recently launched an Android application for the convenience of the Delhi voters. By downloading the app, you can directly perform some important voter registration tasks like checking status of your voter id card Delhi application, directly from the screen of your smartphone. We advise all the voters to install this app if they have android devices because this is the best and the least time-consuming platform to check name in the voters’ list, check application status, find BLO/Election Officer details, know the voters’ Assembly/Parliamentary constituencies etc.

The web site is totally a voter’s gateway to all possible services related to voter id card registration. You can apply for voter id card, apply for corrections to voter details, check status of your voter registration related applications and even digitally check your name in the voters’ list Delhi. All this is really important because of the fact that 7th February 2015 is almost here and this is the day when Delhi voters head out to cast their votes for the Delhi Assembly Elections 2015. Otherwise too, keeping a voter id card in Delhi surely solves other purposes than letting you cast your vote. For example, a voter id card is a widely accepted identity proof for various government schemes and during the opening of bank accounts or applying for a sim card.

Apply for Voter ID Card In Delhi

To include your name in the voter’s list, you have to fill up Form 6. There are two ways of applying for voter ID card

• Apply Online through CEO Delhi Website
• Download Form 6 and submit it personally or by post to VREC office

To apply online through CEO Delhi website, log on to the website and click on the enroll online button on the right top corner. If you are a new user, you need to create a username and  password by signing up on the website. Fill in the details like name, address, city, state, occupation, landline number, mobile number, category of registration, email ID etc. Once you have created your username and password, login to your account. You have to upload soft copy of your photo in the given space, an address proof and an identification proof. After filling in the necessary information and uploading the required documents, submit the application.

The soft copy of following documents are necessary to apply online

Address Proof (any one):

• Ration Card/Passport/Driving license/Income tax return filed
• Bank/Kisan/Post Office Current Pass Book
• Latest Telephone/Electricity/water bill in the name of the applicant or in immediate relation’s name

Identification Proof (any one):

• Birth Certificate
• Driving License
• Passport/PAN card
• High school Certificate

You can also apply offline by downloading Form 6 from the CEO Delhi Official Website. Log on to the website and click on the ‘Forms’ option

Some of the forms available on the website are

• Form 6
• Form 6A
• Form 7
• Form 8
• Form 8A
• Form 2A
• Form 12

Fill in the necessary information and stick a passport size photograph in the space given. Attach hard copy of one address proof and one identification proof. Submit the application form by post or personally to the VREC office of your assembly constituency.

The Booth Level Officer(BLO) will visit the address mentioned in your application form and will verify the photograph with you in person. The officer would also collect the required identity, age and D.O.B proof documents required to apply for the voter id card Delhi if you did not upload these documents while applying online on the CEO Delhi website. The BLO would also bring along the printed version of the online Form no. 6 if you applied online and your signatures would be taken on that form. It is suggested that you contact the BLO to know the time during which he would be visiting your residence so that you stay at home while the verification takes place. If your application is accepted, your name will be added to the voter’s list. The voter ID card for all first-time applicants will be handed over to the nearest EPO/EPIC office.

In case, you are not able to submit the address proof and identification proof while applying online, the Booth Level Officer will collect those documents while visiting your address for verification. For further information, click here.

How To Check The Status Of Your Application?

You can check the status of your application, log on to CEO Delhi official website and click on ‘Know the status of your application’ in the home page. This will direct you to the voter’s search module. You have to type in your application number, select the radio button corresponding to your form, type in the captcha code and click the search button. Information related to your form can be accessed easily.

If you feel too lazy to turn on your computer and visit the CEO Delhi website to find out the status of your application, they have also launched the SMS service for checking this status, just before the Delhi assembly elections 2015. You can send a simple SMS message to check the status of any application form filled by you. The list of forms for which the SMS status service is valid is: –

• Form No. 6 for inclusion of name to Delhi voters’ list.
• Form No. 7 for objection of any entry to the voters’ list or for deletion of an entry to the electoral roll due to valid reasons.
• Form No. 8 for correction of voter id card details like spelling of name, age or any other particular.
• Form No. 8 for change of address of the voter within the same constituency.

Here are the SMS messages for all the above forms, that could be sent in order to check your application status in Delhi, directly on your mobile phone: –

• For checking the status for Form No. 6 in Delhi: – Type F6ID<space>
  < Application Id > and send it to 7738299899
• For checking the status for application Form No. 7: – Type F7ID<space>
  < Application Id > and send it to 7738299899
• For the status of Form No. 8: – Type F8ID<space>
  < Application Id > and send it to 7738299899
• For the status of Form No. 8A: – Type F8AID<space>
  < Application Id > and send it to 7738299899

Alternately, you can use your application id to check your Delhi Voter ID Card status on the CEO Delhi Android application mentioned in an earlier section of this article.

There Is A Mistake In My Voter ID Card, What Should I do?

To see whether your voter details, you can check your details present in the Delhi voters’ list 2015. You can either do that online on the CEO Delhi official website or send a simple SMS : – Just type EPIC<space><Voter Id No> & send to  7738299899 or 1950

Once you receive your EPIC details, carefully examine them and see whether all your details are correct and free of typo errors. Also, make sure that the details on your Delhi Voter ID Card are also correct. If there are mistakes on your card, you may find it difficult to cast your vote in the coming Delhi assembly elections on 7th February 2015. Hence, it is advisable to correct your voter id card and voters’ list details errors, as and when they catch your attention. Make sure that you complete all these formalities, well in advance of the Delhi Assembly elections 2015.

If there is any mistake in your voter ID card, you have to submit Form 8. Go to CEO Delhi website, click on ‘Forms’ option and download Form 8. Fill the details required and also attach a proof of correct information. You should attach an address proof and an age proof along with the application form. Submit the duly filled form in VREC office of your constituency assembly. If the mistake was done by Election official, the correction will be done free of charge and if the mistake is from your end, you have to pay Rs.25/-

I Lost My Voter ID Card, What to do?

Voter ID card is also a valid identity proof. If you do not have a voter ID card, you will not be allowed to cast your vote. So you have to apply for a duplicate voter ID card. To apply for a duplicate voter ID card, file a FIR with the police informing the loss of your voter ID card and always keep a copy of the FIR with you. Log on to CEO Delhi website and download Form 2. Fill in the detail in the form and attach a copy of the FIR. You have to attach one address proof and one identity proof. Submit the duly filled-in form in VREC office of your assembly constituency. You can check the status of your application in CEO Delhi website or the Android application.

How To Check Your Name in The Voter’s List?

You can check your name online on CEO Delhi website. Go to the CEO Delhi homepage, click on ‘check your name in the voter’s list’ option.This will direct you to the voter’s search module. Enter your district number or name, assembly constituency name or number, your name, house number etc. and hit the search button.

You can check the voter’s list in two ways

• By Voter’s Name
• By Voter ID number

If you chose the ‘Search by Voter ID number’ option, you would just need to provide your EPIC number and name. This way, you need not enter other details like address, district, etc. Hence, we suggest that you complete our voter name search by selecting the ‘Voter ID Card number’ option. On the other hand, people from any other state of India can also conduct Election Commission of India identity card number search to find their names in the voters’ list. This search could be conducted on the ECI official website, www.eci.nic.in

You can also check your name in the voter’s list offline by sending a text message. The layout of the message is as follows,

Type in ‘EPIC’<SPACE>’Voter ID Card No.‘ and send it to 9211728082

 How Can I Check My Assembly and Parliamentary Constituency?

To know your assembly and parliamentary constituency, go to CEO Delhi Official website and click on ‘Know your Assembly and Parliamentary constituency’ option.This will direct you to the voter’s search module.There are two ways of checking your Assembly and Parliamentary constituency

• By entering your Locality name
• By searching through the Map

To search by your locality name, you have to enter your Locality name in the given space and hit the search button.

To search through the map, click on ‘Search through map’ option.You can just click on the map to find your Assembly and Parliamentary constituency or you can select your locality any sub locality in the given search box.This option is very useful and you can find your Assembly and Parliamentary constituency without any trouble. Zoom In and Zoom Out option are also available. You can also change the scale of the map using the virtual scale present in the top left corner of your screen.

You can also find information regarding your election officers, by clicking on the ‘Know your Election Officers’ option in Know your Assembly and Parliamentary constituency page. This will direct you to the ‘Contact Us’ page of the website where you can find information regarding

• Officers at the office of Chief Electoral Office
• District Election Officers in NCT of Delhi
• Returning officers of Parliamentary Constituency
• SDMs of Districts
• Electoral Registration Officers
• Voter registration and EPIC centres (VRECs)
• Delhi Police
• Additional AEROs(FSO) of Delhi

 Who Is My Booth Level Officer?

The Booth Level Officer is like the voters’ guiding force. He is the one who visits your residence to verify your identity and residence address after you apply for the Delhi voter registration by filling the CEO Delhi Form No. 6. Therefore, it is important to be in contact with the BLO of your area. If the Officer is unable to verify your identity due to missing documents or other credentials on your part, he would not be able to get your voter application to the next level. Therefore, it is important for you-the-voter to fully co-operate with the BLO and understand what all documents you are required for your voter id card verification in Delhi. Having the contact details of the BLO is also important if you are generally not present on your provided residence address. If so is the case, you may contact the Officer to co-ordinate and know the time of his visit. The BLO may also help you know the status of your application if he has been assigned the task of the verification of your application in particular.

Having the contact details of the BLO is also important if you are generally not present on your provided residence address. If so is the case, you may contact the Officer to co-ordinate and know the time of his visit. The BLO may also help you know the status of your application if he has been assigned the task of the verification of your application in particular. To know your Booth Level Officer(BLO), go to CEO Delhi official website and click on ‘Know your booth level officer’. This will direct you to the Voter’s search module. Enter your locality in the given text box and click on the search button.

Online Complaints and Online Suggestion

To register a complaint online, go to CEO Delhi Official website and click on ‘Online Complaint’ option. In the form, fill in details like your assembly constituency, Parliamentary constituency number and name, name of the complaint, date, nature of complaint, E-mail ID, phone number,complaint category, etc and upload the soft copy of necessary documents. After filling in the required details, click the ‘Submit Complaint’ button. You can also check the status of your complaint by clicking on ‘click here to check complaint status’. Enter the call centre complaint number in the given text box and click the search button.

To make any suggestion to CEO Delhi, log on to the homepage and click on Online Suggestion option. This will direct you to suggestion form. Fill in details like your name, E-mail address, mobile number, residence address, your suggestions or comments and attach the necessary documents. After filling in the form, click on the submit button.

Any new event or information regarding any change can be viewed in What’s New window in the home page of CEO Delhi official website.

The Election Commission of Delhi has also set up a helpline to address any voting-related queries.People of Delhi can call 1950,1800111400 anytime and all voting related queries will be clarified.

The Quick Links window in CEO Delhi official website consists of various information for voters and also for candidates contesting in the election.

Voters can access any voting-related information by clicking on ‘For Voters’ option in the Quick Links window. A guide for voters is available in this option. Information regarding electoral role, service voters, overseas voters and BLOs in the educational institutions is available here.

All political parties can register online by clicking on the ‘Registration of political parties’ option in the quick link window. Information for candidates contesting in elections are also available in this window.

To check the election results and statistics, click on election result and statistics option. Then enter the election type, election year and click on the search button. The statistical report of Assembly election 2008 and Assembly election 2013 are also attached in this page.

Information regarding by-elections can be accessed by clicking on Delhi By-Election 2014 option in the quick links.

This is the list of some of the information available in Quick Link window.

• List of major localities
• Public notice
• About General Election 2014
• Delhi Assembly Election 2013
• List of the service electors
• Know tour MP/MLA
• Election laws
• Circulars/Orders/Notification

People of Delhi can download all photos, videos and the election jingle from CEO Delhi Official Website.