Tamil Nadu electoral roll revised, 97.4 lakh voters removed after SIR exercise

As many as 97.4 lakh voters have been removed from Tamil Nadu’s electoral rolls following the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, reducing the state’s total electorate to 5.43 crore, Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said on Friday.

The electoral roll stood at 6.41 crore voters as of October 27, 2025, before the SIR exercise, she said while briefing reporters at the state Secretariat.

According to the revised draft rolls, male voters number 2.77 crore, while female voters account for 2.66 crore. The state has 7,191 third-gender voters and 4.19 lakh differently-abled voters, Patnaik said.

She said the enumeration phase concluded on December 14, after which the revised draft rolls were released. District Election Officers have published the draft rolls and shared the details with recognised political parties.

During the exercise, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs) visited households up to three times to verify voter details. Based on this verification, names of voters found to be ineligible were removed from the draft list, she said.

Of the 97.4 lakh deletions, 26.94 lakh names belonged to deceased voters, 66.44 lakh to voters who had permanently shifted or were absentee, and 3.39 lakh to voters enrolled at multiple locations. Around 12,000 individuals chose not to be enrolled during the SIR campaign, she added.

Patnaik said the claims and objections period has now begun. Voters whose names are missing or new eligible voters can apply for inclusion using Form 6, while Form 7 can be used for objections and Form 8 for changes in address. Applications can be submitted through Booth Level Officers or online.

She said special camps would also be conducted to assist voters, and those facing issues can approach BLOs, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) or apply online.

On the inclusion of repatriates from Sri Lanka, Patnaik said their applications submitted through Form 6 would be verified by EROs, who may seek additional documents if required.