CHENNAI: The publication of the State's final electoral roll on Monday formally closed a two-month Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise that was as politically charged as it was administratively consequential.
The clean-up of the voter list sparked a fierce debate over transparency, preparedness, and electoral fairness after the draft roll revealed the deletion of 97.37 lakh names.
At the heart of the controversy was the scale of deletions. When the draft roll was released, political parties and sections of the public questioned how so many names could be struck off in a single revision cycle. The Election Commission of India (ECI), facing mounting criticism, responded by emphasising the provisional nature of the draft and opening an extended claims and objections window to address grievances.
The SIR process had begun on November 4 with the enumeration phase. Around 75,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) fanned out across the State to distribute enumeration forms to voters. The groundwork, however, drew early flak. Allegations surfaced regarding lapses in form distribution, uneven communication, and confusion among voters about documentation and timelines — issues that would later feed into the political narrative surrounding the deletions.
The ruling DMK questioned the quality of field-level verification and the preparedness of BLOs, framing the large-scale deletions as symptomatic of systemic gaps. In contrast, the principal Opposition AIADMK defended the revision, rejecting the ruling party’s allegations.
Despite public sparring, recognised political parties engaged deeply with the process on the ground. The DMK and AIADMK deployed 68,260 and 67,462 Booth Level Agents, respectively, to monitor polling stations during the revision. Other parties, including the DMDK and the CPI, also appointed agents — underscoring that, beyond rhetoric, all stakeholders were acutely aware of the electoral stakes.
The most critical corrective phase unfolded between December 19 and January 31, when the ECI conducted six rounds of special camps across the State during a 40-day claims and objections period. In that window, 22.83 lakh applications seeking inclusion were filed — 17.10 lakh offline and 5.73 lakh online — reflecting both the scale of concern and the mobilisation by parties and voters alike.
The numbers tell two parallel stories. On one hand, the deletion of 97.37 lakh names exposed the magnitude of duplication, migration, deaths and outdated entries that accumulate over time in a large and mobile electorate. On the other hand, the surge of fresh applications suggested that awareness campaigns and political intervention significantly shaped the final contours of the roll.
With scrutiny completed and the final roll published, the SIR has now transitioned from controversy to closure. The revised list will serve as the foundation for the forthcoming Assembly election, making this exercise not merely a bureaucratic update but a recalibration of the State’s electoral base.