The Election Commission of India (ECI), on 19 December 2025, released the draft electoral rolls for Tamil Nadu and Gujarat after completion of the enumeration phase of the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The draft lists revealed the removal of over 1.7 crore voters across both states, from a combined electorate of 11.49 crore. The two states have recorded the highest state-wise deletions so far.
More than 97 lakh names have been removed in Tamil Nadu and nearly 74 lakh in Gujarat, largely on account of migration, deaths, duplication and non-submission of enumeration forms. These are the highest deletions recorded across all states and Union Territories yet – both in absolute numbers and proportional to their total electorates.
In Tamil Nadu, the total electorate has fallen from 6.41 crore voters in October 2025 to 5.43 crore – a decline of 15.2%. According to official data, 97.3 lakh electors were deleted during the revision process. Of these, 66.4 lakh were categorised as shifted or absent, 26.9 lakh were identified as deceased, and 3.98 lakh were removed due to multiple enrolments.
The scale of deletions has been particularly pronounced in urban areas. Chennai recorded the highest share, with 14.2 lakh names removed, amounting to 35.6% of its pre-SIR electorate. From around 40 lakh voters earlier, only 25.7 lakh remain in the draft rolls. Other districts such as Ramanathapuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruppur and Coimbatore saw deletions ranging between 20% and 25%, while Ariyalur recorded the lowest reduction at 4.6%. Madurai and Dharmapuri also saw comparatively limited deletions, with less than 7% of names removed.
Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Archana Patnaik said the draft rolls were released in every district in the presence of recognised political parties. The claims and objections window will remain open until 18 January 2026.
Political reactions have followed swiftly. Political analyst Yogendra Yadav described the scale of deletions as “unprecedented and shocking”, while Congress leader P. Chidambaram flagged the large number of voters marked as shifted or absent. The ruling DMK has directed its booth-level agents to verify the draft lists to ensure eligible voters are not excluded.
Gujarat has also witnessed a sharp contraction in its voter base. The draft rolls show that the electorate has declined from 5.08 crore to 4.35 crore, a reduction of 73.73 lakh voters or 14.5%. CEO Hareet Shukla said the deletions include 40.33 lakh permanently shifted voters, 18.05 lakh deceased electors, 9.8 lakh listed as absent, 3.79 lakh duplicate entries and 1.95 lakh removed for other reasons.
As in Tamil Nadu, the urban-rural divide in Gujarat is stark. Urbanised districts recorded the steepest declines, with Surat registering the highest reduction at 25.66%, followed by Ahmedabad at 23.21% and Vadodara at 18.74%. In contrast, tribal-dominated districts such as Dang, Narmada, Chhota Udepur and Tapi saw deletions below 8%. Choryasi assembly constituency in Surat district alone saw nearly 1.95 lakh names removed, the highest among constituencies in the state.
The Gujarat data also points to demographic disparities. Female voters saw a higher reduction than male voters, with a fall of 15.28% compared to 13.76% among men. The number of registered third-gender voters declined by 36%, from 1,668 to 1,063.
Election officials in both states have stressed that the draft electoral rolls are provisional. Booth-wise lists of deleted voters, along with reasons for deletion, are being displayed at designated public offices and online portals. Eligible voters whose names are missing can apply for inclusion during the claims and objections period, after which the final rolls will be published.
The high deletion figures in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat contrast trends seen in other states and UTs. On December 16, the ECI had published draft rolls for West Bengal, Rajasthan, Goa, Puducherry, and Lakshadweep. Across these, deletions averaged to around 7.6% of the total electorate. West Bengal saw the highest number of names deleted at 58 lakh, or 7.6% of the pre-SIR figure. Even Bihar, the first state to undergo the SIR exercise, saw 8% of its voters reduced.
In contrast, deletions across Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are nearly double, proportionally.
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