The Tamil Nadu government has released the draft electoral roll following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists across the state. The updated draft shows that over 97 lakh names have been removed from the existing rolls — a significant revision ahead of upcoming elections.
This large-scale cleanup exercise was carried out by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the state’s electoral officials to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the voter database. The deleted entries include names of people who have migrated out of their registered constituencies, those who have passed away, duplicate registrations, and other discrepancies identified during the revision process.
According to official figures, the roll previously listed around 6.41 crore registered electors, but the draft now reflects approximately 5.44 crore entries after the SIR exercise — marking a reduction of about 15 % in total voters.
In urban areas such as Chennai, the impact has been particularly noticeable, with over 14 lakh names removed. Of these deletions, officials say many were due to residents being permanently shifted to other locations, deaths, or untraceable records.
Despite the extensive deletions, genuine voters still have the opportunity to ensure their names remain on the list. A “claims and objections” period is now open, allowing citizens whose names were removed or incorrectly marked to submit supporting documents and request corrections. This period runs until January 18, 2026, after which a final electoral roll will be prepared.
Officials emphasize that the revision aims to create a cleaner, more transparent voter list and reduce the possibility of voting irregularities in the forthcoming elections.
