Tamil Nadu trails in EF distribution under special poll revision

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu is trailing behind other States and Union Territories in the distribution of elector-specific Enumeration Forms (EFs) under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Phase II, according to the Election Commission of India's daily bulletin issued on Sunday.

The State has so far distributed 6,00,54,300 EFs out of its total 6,41,14,587 electorate, recording a distribution rate of 93.67%. This places Tamil Nadu below the overall national average of 97.52% achieved across the 12 reporting States and UTs.

Several smaller regions, including Goa, Lakshadweep, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands have reached or are close to 100% distribution. Puducherry and Rajasthan have also posted higher completion levels.

Despite deploying one of the country's largest on-ground networks - 68,467 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and 2,37,390 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) - Tamil Nadu's progress has been comparatively slower. Officials attribute the lag to high-density urban belts, logistical challenges in certain districts and the complexity of covering a vast electorate spread across diverse terrains.

With the enumeration phase scheduled from November 4 to December 4, the State's election machinery has stepped up efforts to deliver the remaining forms quickly and move into the critical verification stage. Officials said the priority now is to achieve full distribution at the earliest to ensure accuracy, transparency and completeness in the preparation of the 2026 electoral rolls.