Chennai, December 21, 2025 – In a sweeping overhaul of Tamil Nadu's electoral framework ahead of next year's Assembly elections, the Election Commission has deleted 97.37 lakh names from the state's voter rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, reducing the total electorate by nearly 16%. The move has ignited fierce political backlash, with parties across the spectrum decrying potential disenfranchisement of genuine voters, while the ruling DMK mobilizes its cadre for urgent verifications.
The draft electoral rolls, released on December 19 by Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik, reflect a dramatic 15.2% drop in registered voters—from 6.41 crore to 5.43 crore. Of the deletions, 26.94 lakh were attributed to deceased individuals, 66.44 lakh to those classified as permanently shifted or absentee, 3.98 lakh to multiple enrollments, and an additional 12,000 for failing to return enumeration forms. Urban districts bore the brunt of the cuts: Chennai saw a staggering 14.25 lakh names (35% of its electorate) removed, including 1.56 lakh marked as deceased and over 12 lakh for shifted residences, leaving just 26 lakh valid voters across its 22 Assembly segments. Other hotspots included Chengalpet (7 lakh deletions, 25%), Tiruvallur (6 lakh, 17%), Coimbatore (6.5 lakh, 15%), and Tirupur (23%). In contrast, rural Ariyalur recorded the lowest rate at 4%.
The SIR, mandated by the Election Commission for poll-bound states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Gujarat, commenced enumeration on November 4 and concluded on December 16. Booth-level officers cross-verified records using house-to-house visits and data from sources like the civil registration system for deaths and the National Population Register for shifts. A 30-day window for claims and objections—from December 19 to January 18—now allows affected voters to appeal via Forms 6 (for inclusions), 7 (deletions), or 8 (corrections). Over 5.19 lakh Form-6 applications for new enrollments have already been received, with draft lists distributed to political parties and accessible online for public scrutiny.
Political tempers have flared, with accusations flying that the exercise masks an attempt to manipulate outcomes in favor of the BJP-led central government. The opposition DMK-Congress alliance, which initially protested the "undue haste" and workload on officials, has shifted to damage control. DMK Organizing Secretary R.S. Bharathi announced that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has instructed booth-level agents (BLAs) to meticulously verify every deleted name, including those erroneously tagged as "dead" or "shifted." Party legal wing secretary N.R. Elango emphasized, "Our real task begins now," detailing plans for booth committees to contact "shifted" voters and assist with re-enrollment using one of 13 required documents. The focus is on the 57 lakh "not mapped" entries, with appeals escalating to district and chief electoral officers if needed. Congress leader and former Union Minister P. Chidambaram urged all parties to scrutinize the 66.4 lakh shifted/absentee names to prevent "mass disenfranchisement."
Political analyst Yogendra Yadav labeled the scale "unprecedented," estimating deletions far exceeding the expected 41 lakh based on demographic trends, and warned of widespread voter exclusion in a state with high urban mobility. Actor-politician Vijay's Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has outright opposed the SIR, branding it a tool for electoral interference and positioning the DMK as its "political enemy."
On the other side, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami hailed the purge as vindication for his party's long-standing call for roll revisions, claiming most deletions targeted "bogus" entries and predicting "drama" from a frustrated DMK. Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader T.T.V. Dhinakaran echoed support for corrections, urging members to aid the public during the objection period.
The controversy extends beyond Tamil Nadu, mirroring similar uproars in Gujarat—where 74 lakh names were axed, contributing to a combined 1.71 crore deletions across both states—and Kerala, where leaders anticipate heavy cuts and demand transparent lists to avert democratic erosion. The Election Commission maintains that no eligible voter will be unjustly removed, emphasizing its constitutional mandate to ensure clean rolls.
As Tamil Nadu's 234 Assembly seats gear up for polls in 2026, the coming weeks will test the efficacy of the objection process and the resolve of parties to restore voting rights. With urban voters—often young migrants—disproportionately hit, the stakes for inclusive democracy have rarely been higher.
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