On December 19, 2025, the Election Commission of India (ECI) released the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) draft electoral rolls for Tamil Nadu. This massive update was carried out through door-to-door verification, aiming to remove outdated and incorrect voter entries ahead of upcoming elections.
📉 A Huge Cleanup in Numbers
According to the draft rolls, over 97 lakh names were deleted, which is 15.2% of the previous 6.41 crore voters. After this revision, Tamil Nadu’s voter count now stands at around 5.44 crore.
The ECI cited several reasons behind the deletions:
53 lakh voters (54%) were marked as permanently shifted
27 lakh (28%) were listed as deceased
13.6 lakh (14%) were absent or untraceable
3.98 lakh (4%) were duplicate entries
Officials confirmed that 99.45% of enumeration forms were distributed and 94.32% digitized, making this one of the most extensive voter verification drives in the state’s history.
🏙️ Chennai Hit the Hardest
The biggest shock came from Chennai, which saw a 35.6% drop in voters — a loss of 14.25 lakh names. Experts link this to urban migration, shifting residences, and unupdated voter records.
Other districts with over 15% reduction include:
Kancheepuram
Tiruvallur
Dindigul
Vellore
Erode
Tirunelveli
Only 10 districts reported deletions below 10%, with Ariyalur recording the lowest drop at 4.6%.
🗓️ What Happens Next?
The enumeration process was extended till December 14, allowing officials to recheck “uncollectable” cases. Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik confirmed that final figures closely matched early estimates.
🧾 What Voters Must Do Now
If your name is missing, don’t panic. You can:
Submit Form 6 to add your name
Raise objections between December 9, 2025 – January 8, 2026
Attend hearings until January 31, 2026
The final electoral rolls will be published on February 7, 2026. Voters can verify details through ECI portals or local Booth Level Officers.
👉 This revision mirrors national trends, with states like Bihar also seeing an 8.24% voter drop, highlighting a countrywide electoral cleanup.
If you are from Tamil Nadu check your name now — your vote matters more than ever. Risk & dependency: Discover performance depends on timely publishing, original imagery, and daily crawl activity.
