SIR drive: 97 lakh voters deleted from Tamil Nadu rolls
In Chief Minister Stalin's Kolathur constituency, approximately 1 lakh voters have been removed
Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik announced the publication of the integrated draft electoral roll following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, revealing a significant purge of nearly 97.38 lakh names from the previous voter list.
Addressing reporters at the State Secretariat, Patnaik stated that the current draft roll includes a total of 5,43,76,755 voters, comprising 2.66 crore women and 2.77 crore men. Before the SIR, Tamil Nadu's total voter count stood at approximately 6.41 crore. The revision has resulted in the deletion of 97,37,832 voters across the state.
Break-up of deletions:
Patnaik said the revision led to the deletion of 26.94 lakh names due to deaths, while 66.44 lakh voters were removed after being found to have permanently shifted or migrated. Of these, 66,44,881 voters could not be traced at their registered addresses despite three rounds of door-to-door verification.
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In addition, 3,39,278 names were deleted due to duplicate registrations across multiple locations."These names have been removed to ensure the accuracy and purity of the electoral roll," she said.
The highest number of deletions were recorded in urban and densely populated areas:
Within Chennai, the deletions varied across the 16 constituencies.
Patnaik urged voters to check the draft roll immediately and file claims or objections if necessary, as the process ensures transparency ahead of future elections.
Top leaders’ seats see deletions
Political leaders' constituencies have also seen substantial voter deletions in the revision process. In Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's Kolathur constituency, approximately 1 lakh voters (1,03,812) have been removed from the electoral roll. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin's Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency recorded the deletion of 89,421 voters.
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Meanwhile, senior Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram highlighted the deletion of 1,50,828 voters in Sivaganga district, calling on political parties to conduct thorough ground-level verifications to safeguard democratic processes.
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In contrast, Opposition Leader and AIADMK chief Edappadi K. Palaniswami's Edappadi constituency in Salem district saw a comparatively lower number of deletions at 26,375 voters.
BJP senior leader and former Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan hailed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, stating that it has safeguarded democracy in Tamil Nadu. She questioned why the DMK insisted on facing elections with nearly one crore "ghost voters" on the rolls, alleging that the ruling party had hoped to contest with a list inflated by bogus entries but has now been left disappointed.
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Senior journalist Tharasu Shyam observed that the majority of deletions were due to deceased voters, while duplicate entries formed a relatively smaller portion. He stressed the need for officials to remain more vigilant in future revisions. Shyam also recalled that during the 2002 SIR exercise, approximately 55 lakh voter names were removed from the rolls.
