tamil-nadu-releases-final-sir-roll-74-lakh-names-removed

The final electoral rolls in poll-bound Tamil Nadu were published on Monday following the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, with more than 74 lakh names deleted from the list.

Tamil Nadu’s Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik released the updated rolls, which show the electorate shrinking from 6.41 crore as of October 27, 2025, to 5.67 crore as of February 23, 2026.

The publication comes ahead of Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu, with polls also due this summer in Kerala, West Bengal, Puducherry and Assam.

 

According to the CEO’s office, the revised electorate comprises 2.7 crore men, 2.8 crore women and 7,617 third gender voters.

The Shozhinganallur Assembly constituency in Chengalpattu district has the highest number of electors at 5.36 lakh, while the Harbour constituency has the lowest at 1.16 lakh.

The scale of deletions, over 74 lakh names, marks one of the most significant revisions in recent years, as part of the nationwide SIR drive aimed at updating and purifying electoral rolls.

 

Also read: Voters in 9 states, UTs drop by 1.70 crore after SIR

The Election Commission said voters dissatisfied with the final list can seek addition or correction of their names even after publication. The final rolls will also be shared with recognised political parties.

Under Section 24(a) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, a voter may file a first appeal before the District Election Officer against a decision of the Electoral Registration Officer.

Under Section 24(b), a second appeal may be filed before the Chief Electoral Officer against the order of the District Election Officer.

The ongoing SIR exercise is the ninth such revision of electoral rolls since Independence, the previous one having been conducted between 2002 and 2004.

The process has sparked political controversy in several states, particularly in West Bengal. In Bihar, where the exercise was carried out in July last year, 6.9 million names were removed and 2.15 million added to the rolls.

With elections approaching, the revised figures in Tamil Nadu are likely to trigger close scrutiny from political parties and civil society groups alike.