Tamil Nadu Voter Roll Cleanup Sees Sharp Drop of Over 97 Lakh Names After SIR

Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s extensive Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has led to a significant reduction in the state’s voter count, highlighting long-standing inaccuracies in the electoral database. After the first phase of the revision, the total number of registered electors has dropped from more than 6.41 crore to around 5.43 crore, marking a decline of over 15 percent.

The draft electoral roll released on Friday shows that over 97 lakh names were identified as belonging to voters who were either deceased, had shifted residences, were absent, or were registered more than once. Prior to the revision exercise, the voter count stood at 6,41,14,587 as of late October. Following verification, the draft roll now lists 5,43,76,756 electors across the state.

Officials explained that nearly 27 lakh names were removed after being confirmed as deceased voters. In addition, over 66 lakh electors were classified as having shifted their residence or being untraceable at their registered addresses. More than 3.3 lakh entries were removed due to duplication, including cases where voters were enrolled at multiple locations. In such instances, the voter’s name has been retained at only one valid address, in line with election rules.

The Chief Electoral Officer described the exercise as one of the largest voter roll verification drives undertaken in the state, stating that the figures reflect both the scale of the operation and the need to correct legacy errors accumulated over the years. She clarified that many voters marked as shifted or absent could not be contacted due to migration to other states, non-availability at their addresses, or failure to submit required forms before the deadline.

Importantly, election authorities stressed that the draft roll is not final. Eligible voters whose names are missing or incorrectly recorded can seek inclusion or correction during the claims and objections window, which will remain open from December 19, 2025, to January 18, 2026.

The SIR was conducted across all 38 districts of Tamil Nadu with the involvement of thousands of election officials, booth-level officers, volunteers, and representatives of recognised political parties. House-to-house verification, multiple follow-up visits, and help desks at polling stations were part of efforts to minimise wrongful exclusions.

The draft rolls have been published booth-wise in both physical and digital formats to ensure transparency. Lists of removed names have also been made public to allow citizens to verify their status.