SIR impact deepens as 1.7 crore voters drop off rolls across 9 states, UTs

The second phase of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has led to a sharp contraction in voter rolls across nine states and Union Territories, with the total electorate shrinking by nearly 1.7 crore — an overall decline of about 8%.

Among the states, Gujarat recorded the highest deletions at 13.4% (68.12 lakh voters), while Kerala saw the lowest at 3.2% (8.97 lakh). The Andaman and Nicobar Islands registered the steepest drop overall, with nearly 17% (52,364 voters) struck off the rolls.

The final electoral rolls for Chhattisgarh, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Andaman and Nicobar Islands were published on Saturday. Earlier, Gujarat, Lakshadweep and Puducherry had released their final rolls, while Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh are scheduled to publish theirs in the coming weeks.

When the Election Commission launched the SIR exercise on October 27 last year, the nine states and UTs had a combined electorate of 21.45 crore. That number fell to 19.33 crore in the draft rolls issued in December and January. The final rolls now place the total at 19.75 crore — reflecting a net reduction of 1.7 crore voters.

The scale of deletions in this phase exceeds the roughly 6% reduction recorded earlier in Bihar, where the SIR was first conducted in June last year.

State-wise, Chhattisgarh saw a decline of 11.77%, Goa 10.75%, Puducherry 7.57%, Madhya Pradesh 5.97%, Rajasthan 5.74%, Kerala 3.22%, and Lakshadweep 0.36%. The final rolls account for both deletions of ineligible voters and additions of new electors.

The Election Commission has maintained that updating the electoral roll is a continuous process. “Form 6 (for addition), Form 7 (for deletion), and Form 8 (for corrections) can still be filed till the last date of nomination,” the poll body said, referring to deadlines in poll-bound states including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Puducherry and West Bengal.

Unlike the annual Special Summary Revision, which updates existing rolls, the SIR involves preparing the electoral roll afresh. All electors are required to submit enumeration forms, and certain categories must provide documentary proof of eligibility, including citizenship.

The Commission’s decision to conduct the SIR has been challenged in the Supreme Court, which has reserved its verdict on the matter.