SIR shrinks voter base in 9 states, 3 UTs; Gujarat hit hardest

A sweeping Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has resulted in the deletion of over 1.70 crore voters across nine states and three Union Territories, markedly reducing the electorate ahead of upcoming polls, according to official data from the Election Commission.

The revised rolls have been released in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Goa, along with the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Lakshadweep.

Among the states, Gujarat witnessed the sharpest contraction in its electorate. As many as 68.1 lakh names were deleted, reducing the voter base from 5.08 crore to 4.4 crore — a decline of 13.4 per cent. Madhya Pradesh recorded the second-highest deletions, with 34.2 lakh electors removed, bringing its total from 5.7 crore down to 5.3 crore.

In Rajasthan, 31.3 lakh names were struck off the rolls, narrowing the electorate from 5.4 crore to 5.1 crore. Chhattisgarh saw a drop of 24.9 lakh voters. Further south, Kerala’s rolls shrank by 8.9 lakh, while Goa recorded a comparatively modest reduction of 1.2 lakh electors.

The Union Territories also registered declines, though on a smaller scale. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands saw 52,364 deletions, Puducherry 77,367, and Lakshadweep 206.

Election officials attributed the large-scale deletions primarily to deaths, permanent migration, duplicate registrations and other eligibility-related factors identified during the verification process. The SIR typically involves house-to-house verification, scrutiny of claims and objections, and cross-referencing with official records to ensure that only eligible citizens remain on the rolls.

In parallel, the commission has completed a similar revision exercise in Bihar ahead of assembly elections scheduled for November, where approximately 47 lakh names were removed from the final list.

Even as the latest phase concludes, preparations are underway for the next round of the nationwide revision drive. The poll watchdog has directed chief electoral officers in 17 states and five Union Territories to initiate groundwork for the upcoming SIR, expected to commence in April.

The next phase will span a broad swathe of the country, covering Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana and Uttarakhand.

With successive rounds of revision reshaping electoral rolls across vast regions, the commission maintains that the exercise is aimed at strengthening the integrity and accuracy of India’s democratic register. Yet, the scale of deletions — running into crores — is certain to invite close political scrutiny as states prepare for crucial electoral contests in the months ahead.