Massive electoral roll clean-up cuts 3.13 crore names

The combined voters’ list of eight states and three Union Territories has shrunk by nearly 3.13 crore following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise on Saturday.

With the publication of the final electoral rolls, all states and UTs covered in the second phase except Uttar Pradesh have released updated voter data. The states include West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Goa , along with the Union Territories of Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep .

According to data shared by the Chief Electoral Officers of these states and the Election Commission of India (ECI) , the combined electorate stood at around 36 crore when the SIR was announced on October 27 last year. After the completion of the revision and publication of the final rolls, the number of voters declined to 32.87 crore, a reduction of nearly 3.13 crore names.

State-wise data indicate significant shrinkage in several major states. West Bengal recorded a decline of about 15.9% , with voters dropping from roughly 7.66 crore to 6.44 crore. Tamil Nadu saw an estimated 14.6% reduction , with the electorate decreasing from around 6.64 crore to 5.67 crore. In Gujarat , the rolls shrank by nearly 13.4% , from about 5.08 crore to 4.40 crore. Madhya Pradesh witnessed an approximate 6–7% decline , while Rajasthan also reported a moderate reduction, though complete figures are yet to be officially detailed.

Uttar Pradesh is not part of the current publication as its electoral roll revision is being completed under a separate phase of the SIR exercise and has not yet been finalized for release.

The exercise had earlier been completed in Bihar during the first phase. In the second phase, nearly 51 crore electors across 12 states and UTs were covered. The remaining 40 crore electors will be included in the next phase, which is set to begin soon in 17 states and five UTs.

In Assam , a “special revision” exercise instead of SIR was completed on February 10.

The SIR process, which kept the Election Commission in the spotlight over the past several months, witnessed multiple schedule adjustments in the second phase. As in Bihar, political parties have approached the Supreme Court challenging the SIR exercise in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.