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The draft electoral roll for Tamil Nadu was published on Monday following the conclusion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, with more than 97 lakh voter names removed during the exercise, according to officials.
Data released by the Election Commission (EC) showed that a total of about 97.6 lakh entries were deleted from the rolls. The deletions were attributed to multiple factors, including deaths, permanent migration, duplicate entries, and voters found to be ineligible during field verification.
At the same time, several lakh new voters were added to the rolls, including first-time voters and those who had applied for inclusion or correction of details. Election officials said the revision was carried out to ensure greater accuracy and integrity of the electoral database ahead of upcoming elections.
The EC stated that the Special Intensive Revision involved door-to-door verification by booth-level officers, along with scrutiny of existing records and applications submitted by voters.
Political parties were also allowed to participate in the process by appointing booth-level agents to flag discrepancies.
With the publication of the draft roll, voters have been given an opportunity to file claims and objections within the stipulated period. Citizens can seek inclusion of their names, correction of details, or raise objections to entries they believe are incorrect.
The final electoral roll will be published after disposal of all claims and objections, the EC said, adding that the revision exercise is aimed at ensuring that no eligible voter is left out while maintaining a clean and updated voters’ list.
