SIR: Tamil Nadu and Gujarat remove 1.71 crore names in draft voter rolls
Chennai/Ahmedabad: A major clean-up of electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat has resulted in more than 1.71 crore voters not finding their names in the draft lists released on Friday under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The Election Commission (EC) said the large-scale deletions followed an extensive enumeration exercise covering both states, where the combined electorate stood at 11.49 crore as of October 27. The draft rolls now contain 9.78 crore names, with voters across India’s ongoing SIR regions set to receive final rolls in February.
Tamil Nadu, which goes to the polls next year, saw one of the largest revisions. Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said the state’s electoral roll had dropped from 6.41 crore electors before the SIR to 5.43 crore in the draft list after 97.4 lakh removals. “The enumeration phase got over on December 14, and the revised list has been released today,” she told reporters, adding
that District Election Officers had handed over the updated rolls to registered political parties.
Tamil Nadu recorded 84.81 per cent form submissions, with 5.43 crore electors confirming their details. The state’s draft roll now reflects 2.77 crore male voters, 2.66 crore female voters, 7,191 third gender voters, and 4.19 lakh differently abled electors.
Giving a detailed breakup of the deletions, Patnaik said the updated list excluded 26.94 lakh deceased voters, 66.44 lakh voters identified as permanently shifted or absentee, and 3.39 lakh individuals enrolled in multiple locations. Around 12,000 people reportedly opted out of enrollment during the SIR. She said Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) were deployed for repeated home visits. “During the enumeration phase, the BLOs and BLAs visited houses up to three times, and based on that, the draft was released,” she said. The work involved 38 District Election Officers, 234 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), 776 Assistant EROs, and 68,467 BLOs, supported by 48,873 volunteers. Political parties also contributed, with 2,46,069 BLAs appointed by 12 parties. Patnaik noted that those whose names are missing can seek inclusion through Form 6, while objections or deletions can be addressed through Form 7, and corrections through Form 8. “They can approach the BLOs. They can also apply online. Apart from that, we will be conducting special camps,” she said. She added that names of individuals repatriated from Sri Lanka “would have been added”, with EROs now verifying documents. Among constituencies, Sholinganallur, Pallavaram and Alandur reported the highest removals. Gujarat reported a similarly large reduction in its electoral rolls, with 73.73 lakh names removed from the state’s pre-SIR list of 5.08 crore voters. Following the revision, the draft rolls now show 4.34 crore electors, according to state Chief Electoral Officer Harit Shukla. He said the exercise aimed at cleaning up the lists through door-to-door verification. Of the voters removed in Gujarat, 18,07,278 were deceased, 9,69,662 were listed as absent, 40,25,553 had migrated out of the state, 3,81,470 were enrolled in more than one location, and 1,89,364 were deleted due to other reasons. The counting phase began on October 27 and ran for about one and a half months. Shukla noted that 33 District Election Officers, 182 Voter Registration Officers, 855 Assistant VROs, 50,963 BLOs, 54,443 BLAs, and 30,833 volunteers took part in the state-wide effort. Citizens can check their names through official portals, the ECINET app, or by contacting local election offices.
Objections to inclusions or deletions in Gujarat may be submitted until January 18, 2026, with scrutiny scheduled until February 10, officials said. Applications for inclusion can be made through Form 6, corrections through Form 8, and objections through Form 7. Meanwhile, the EC noted that draft rolls for West Bengal, Rajasthan, Goa, Puducherry and Lakshadweep were published on December 16, where 12.32 crore electors found their names listed as part of the ongoing SIR across 12 states and Union Territories. Patnaik said the Commission’s procedures ensure a fully transparent process. She added that no deletion can occur without notice and an order by the ERO or Assistant ERO, citing Para 5(b) of the SIR guidelines. Any aggrieved elector may appeal before the District Magistrate and then the Chief Electoral Officer under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Volunteers are being trained to assist electors during the appeal process.
