Tamil Nadu SIR: It is time to put apprehensions to rest

The State Public (Elections) Department, which released the key findings of the initial phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls on December 19, 2025 in Tamil Nadu, has much to answer about the way the exercise was carried out. This is not just because 97.4 lakh names have been removed from the rolls, but also because of the manner in which the department has carried out the task.

Besides, the claims made by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), who heads the department, are too good to be true. The claim of distributing over 6.41 crore enumeration forms with 100% coverage appears questionable, as many voters whose names were on the rolls until recently report that no officials visited their residences to distribute the forms, even in cities such as Chennai and Coimbatore. On the contrary, several voters reached out to their local officers to get the forms. Those who could not were left out. Some voters also found to their dismay that their names had been deleted even after submitting the forms online “successfully”.

Another statement — that booth-level officers (BLOs) made “at least three visits” for collection — raises questions. In some places such as Tiruvarur and Tiruchi, the officials visited voters twice. But in Chennai and Madurai, largely, they visited voters only once. The same was the case in Chidambaram. In one case, in Tiruvallur district, enumeration forms were “submitted” without the knowledge of the voters concerned. This cannot be dismissed lightly. In fact, my name and Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number were deleted from the electoral rolls at my current residence in Chennai — where I have lived for over a decade — during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, without prior notice. Luckily, as my name was still in the old address, from which I had moved out many years ago, the authorities advised me to cast my vote. Also, I was assigned a new EPIC number at the address that was no longer my residence, again without my knowledge.

Regarding the most contentious aspect — the Absent/Shifted/Deceased (ASD) category — it has not yet been clarified how the Election Commission or the department determines these figures, even though this category accounts for all deleted voters. After taking into account the deletions, the revised strength of electors comes to around 5.44 crore.

As regards how the authorities arrived at the conclusion about the deceased, whose figure is approximately 27 lakh, the CEO, Archana Patnaik, says the assessment was made based on field inquiry. While many voters may not have death certificates, some BLOs insist on collecting death certificates. As for the ‘shifted’ and ‘absentee’ cases, numbering 664 lakh, it is unclear how this figure has been arrived at when many tenants have not come across officials inquiring about the previous occupants.

Regarding data dissemination, the authorities did not publish district-wise weekly progress of enumeration on the CEO’s website. Only after efforts of the media did the office place in the public domain the data regarding the Assembly constituency-wise break up of ASD. But, again, no official data are available on the gender-wise break up of ASD.

There are also reports of anomalies in the deletions. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, in an interaction with DMK colleagues a few days ago, flagged deletions exceeding 10% in 168 Assembly constituencies. He pointed out how four people in a booth in the Gummidipoondi Assembly constituency, enrolled as electors during the party’s drive about four months ago, had been left out, with one person having been identified as the deceased.

What is obvious is that the draft rolls are not error-free or flawless. Under such circumstances, it is natural for the ruling party and its allies to express their concerns over large-scale deletions. Only the AIADMK general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, came out in support of the SIR which, he said, had reinforced his party’s contention that most of the deleted voters were bogus voters.

However, the two Dravidian majors are on the same page when they say that no genuine voter should be left out as inclusions can still be made up to January 18. Before the State moves to the next stage, the CEO and the Election Commission would do well to clear all these apprehensions and doubts so that a conducive environment is created for a free and fair election next year.