SIR counts 24 lakh deceased in TN electoral rolls; over 9% names may be deleted
As per data as of 10 pm on November 29, the poll panel has identified 58.91 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu who did not submit their enumeration forms.
SIR counts 24 lakh deceased in Tamil Nadu (Photo: Hemanathan M)
CHENNAI: There were nearly 24 lakh deceased people on the Tamil Nadu voters list, found the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, while a total of around 59 lakh names, accounting for more than 9 per cent of the total electorate and nearly a quarter of them in Chennai, are all set to be deleted for various reasons, show interim figures from the Election Commission of India.
As per data as of 10 pm on November 29, the poll panel has identified 58.91 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu who did not submit their enumeration forms. This works out to 9.19 per cent of the total electorate of 6.41 crore. Of those who failed to submit the forms, 23.83 lakh are deceased voters, it said.
Till Tuesday, 6.37 crore enumeration forms have been issued, covering 99.45 per cent of voters, and 6.04 crore filled forms have been digitised, reaching 94.32 per cent completion.
At a recent press conference, Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said deletions would be made under five categories: death, untraceable, permanently shifted, double entry, and other reasons. Following this directive, Returning Officers in all 234 Assembly constituencies have listed voters who did not return their forms during the enumeration drive.
Chennai, which comprises 16 Assembly constituencies, may lose as many as 5.72 lakh voters from its roll of 40 lakh electors. Booth-Level Officers identified 1.29 lakh deceased voters, 4.12 lakh voters who had permanently shifted, and 10,614 voters with double entries.
Chengalpattu district, carved out of Kancheepuram, recorded the second-highest number of uncollected forms, with 4.39 lakh voters not submitting their documents. Tiruvallur saw 3.36 lakh of its 35 lakh electors failing to return the forms.
Among constituencies, Pallavaram in Chengalpattu district registered the highest number of unsubmitted forms, with 1.43 lakh of its 4.44 lakh voters not submitting them. These voters risk losing their franchise if they do not respond within the deadline. Chepauk–Tiruvallikeni, represented by Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, ranked second with 72,950 unsubmitted forms.
Across the State, 23.83 lakh deceased voters have been identified during the SIR drive. Dharapuram in Tirupur district recorded the highest count, with 23,351 deceased voters since the previous SIR in 2002. Other constituencies with high numbers include Pallavaram (23,312), Palladam (21,642), Sivaganga (19,969), Kangayam (19,655), Chengalpattu (19,133), Tirupattur (18,732), Tirunelveli (18,695), Madhavaram (18,104), and Manachanallur (18,004).
The SIR exercise, carried out by 68,470 Booth-Level Officers, began on November 4. As per the revised schedule, the draft electoral roll will be published on December 16.
Election Commission sources said the number of uncollected forms would change with the extension of the deadline to December 16. “The final number of voters will be known on December 16. Those who wish to object to deletions or add their names will be able to do so between December 16 and January 15, 2026,” an official said.
