Sign In
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
By signing in or creating an account, you agree with Associated Broadcasting Company's Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
New Delhi: Tamil Nadu witnessed a massive reduction in its voter list following the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, with over 97 lakh names deleted from the rolls. According to data released by the Election Commission on Friday, the total number of voters in the state has fallen from 6.41 crore to 5.43 crore after the completion of the first phase of the SIR.
Among the deleted entries, nearly 27 lakh names were marked as ‘dead’, while around 66 lakh voters were found to have shifted out of the state. Additionally, about 3.4 lakh names were removed for being double-registered. The enumeration phase of the SIR — an Election Commission-mandated exercise that is also underway in other poll-bound states, including West Bengal — concluded on December 16. The window for filing claims and objections will remain open till January 18.
The Election Commission, which has defended the SIR in the Supreme Court following objections raised after the first phase in Bihar, has reiterated that no eligible voter will be wrongfully removed from the electoral rolls. One of the biggest revisions was recorded in Coimbatore, where at least 6.5 lakh names were deleted from the voter list. The Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency comprises six Assembly segments, five of which are currently held by the opposition AIADMK, while the sixth is represented by its ally, the BJP.
In Dindigul district, around 2.34 lakh names were deleted, while Kancheepuram saw a reduction of 2.74 lakh voters. Both districts have six Assembly segments each. In Dindigul, the seats are split between the ruling DMK and the AIADMK, while in Kancheepuram, three seats are held by the DMK, one by the AIADMK, and the remaining two by the DMK’s ally, the VCK.
Nearly 80,000 names were removed from Karur, a district that recently drew attention after a stampede occurred at a rally addressed by actor-turned-politician Vijay, whose party TVK is making its electoral debut. Karur’s six Assembly seats are largely dominated by the DMK, with the AIADMK holding just one. However, the largest revision was recorded in Chennai, where 14.25 lakh voters were removed from the list. This includes 1.56 lakh names marked as ‘dead’ and over 12 lakh voters reported to have shifted residences. The number of valid voters in the state capital — which has 22 Assembly segments— now stands at 26 lakhs.
The SIR exercise has been strongly opposed by the opposition, led by the DMK-Congress alliance, which is seeking a second consecutive term in power. Actor Vijay’s TVK, despite its sharp opposition to the DMK on political grounds, has also spoken out against the revision exercise.
The AIADMK, however, has backed the SIR, asserting that it was necessary to remove duplicate and ineligible voters. AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) said the deletion of duplicate names validated his party’s long-standing demand for a revision of the voter list, while also predicting political “drama” from the DMK over the issue. The AIADMK and the BJP are allied for the upcoming elections.
At the national level, opposition parties have alleged that the SIR is being used as a tool by the BJP and the Election Commission to manipulate election outcomes — a charge both the EC and the BJP have categorically denied.
The Election Commission has maintained that it is constitutionally empowered to periodically revise electoral rolls, a position upheld by the Supreme Court. The BJP, meanwhile, has pointed to elections it has lost to counter allegations of electoral manipulation.Earlier this week, the Election Commission also released the first SIR list for West Bengal, where 58 lakh names were deleted from the voter rolls.
