SIR Completed in 6 States; Gujarat Tops List with 68 Lakh Voters Deleted

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has completed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in six states and select Union Territories, resulting in significant changes to voter lists.

According to the Commission’s latest release, the exercise led to the removal of a substantial number of ineligible electors after verification. Gujarat recorded the highest net deletion in the country, with 68,12,711 names removed. The state’s total electorate declined from 5,08,43,436 before the SIR to 4,40,30,725 after the revision — a drop of 13.40 per cent.

Madhya Pradesh reported 34,25,078 deletions, reducing its voter base from 5,74,06,143 to 5,39,81,065 (–5.97%). Rajasthan saw 31,36,286 names struck off, bringing its total down from 5,46,56,215 to 5,15,19,929.

Chhattisgarh’s electorate declined by 24,99,823, from 2,12,30,737 to 1,87,30,914. Kerala recorded a reduction of 8,97,211 voters (2,78,50,855 to 2,69,53,644), while Goa saw 1,27,468 deletions, with rolls falling from 11,85,034 to 10,57,566.

Among Union Territories, Andaman and Nicobar Islands saw a drop of 52,364 electors (3,10,404 to 2,58,040), Puducherry recorded 77,367 deletions (10,21,578 to 9,44,211), and Lakshadweep saw a marginal reduction of 206 names (57,813 to 57,607).

ECI officials clarified that the net change reflects electors found ineligible minus newly added eligible voters. Deletions were primarily due to death, permanent relocation, duplicate entries, or other eligibility-related factors. The Commission reiterated that the electoral roll update is a continuous process and eligible citizens may still apply for inclusion, correction, or deletion as required.

The final electoral rolls have been formally published for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Data for West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu will be released later this month.

The SIR exercise is being carried out nationwide across 12 states in this phase, with preparatory work underway in other regions. The next phase of the revision process is scheduled to begin in April as part of the Commission’s ongoing electoral roll verification drive.