New Delhi: The total number of electors in the nine states and Union Territories (UTs) where the final rolls have been released has fallen from 214.56 million before the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise to 197.53 million, recording an overall reduction of 7.9% compared to the voter list before the controversial exercise, HT’s analysis of the Election Commission data showed.
The poll panel on Saturday published the final electoral rolls for five states and one UT— Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands—following the completion of SIR, which began on November 4. With this, the roll revision is now complete in nine of the 12 states/UTs, except Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh, where the exercise began on November 4.
In the nine regions, the draft roll, released after the enumeration phase, had 193.32 million electors — 9.9% fewer than the pre-SIR figure. The final roll, drawn up after claims and objections, now lists 197.53 million electors—2.2% more than the draft roll but still 7.9% lower than the pre-SIR total.
These patterns broadly mirror the trends observed in Bihar, where SIR was completed last year, with a net deletion of 6% compared to 8.3% at the draft stage.
Among these nine provinces, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh have recorded the highest net deletion in their rolls, contracting by 16.9%, 13.4%, and 11.8%, respectively. The smallest net deletions are in Lakshadweep, Kerala, and Rajasthan, where the final rolls have declined by 0.4%, 3.2%, and 5.7% compared to the pre-SIR figures. Goa, Puducherry, and Madhya Pradesh have seen net deletions of 10.8%, 7.6%, and 6%, respectively.
While the states and UTs with the highest and lowest deletions are largely the same as at the draft stage, there are some exceptions. For example, Kerala, which had the fifth-highest net deletion at the draft stage, is now among the three regions with the smallest net deletions. On the other hand, Madhya Pradesh and Goa, which ranked sixth and eighth in net deletions among the nine at the draft stage, now stand fourth and sixth, respectively.
This change in relative ranking has happened because not all states and UTs recorded the same level of change between the draft and final roll. Kerala’s roll has expanded by 5.9% between the draft and final roll, the highest among nine states/UTs for which the final roll has been published. It is followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Puducherry, where the number of electors has increased by a net 4.7% and 2.8% between the draft and final roll.
In contrast, Goa is the only state/UT where the final roll is smaller than even the draft roll. The state’s final roll has 2.5% fewer electors than at the draft stage. Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh – where the number of electors has increased by 1.3%, 1.3%, and 1.6% since the draft stage – are other states with relatively small net additions after the draft roll. Rajasthan and Lakshadweep, on the other hand, have seen the number of electors increase by 2.1% and 2.2% since the draft roll.
Among the six states and UTs whose final rolls were published on Saturday, Madhya Pradesh has 53.98 million electors in the final roll, compared with 53.13 million in the draft roll and 57.41 million pre-SIR. During the claims and objections phase, the state added 1,085,413 electors and deleted 236,331, resulting in a net addition of 0.85 million to the draft roll. Urban districts led the rebound, with Indore recording a 2.76% net increase in voters and Bhopal registering a 3.46% rise.
The SIR process in Rajasthan is complete in 199 of the state’s 200 Assembly constituencies (ACs), with work delayed in Anta AC due to a bye-election. In these 199 ACs, the final electoral count stands at 51.52 million, up from 50.47 million at the draft stage and 54.66 million pre-SIR. Between the draft and final rolls, the state added 1,291,365 electors and deleted 242,760, resulting in a net addition of 1.05 million, with Jaipur recording a 3.45% net rise in electors.
Kerala, which goes to polls in the summer, has 26.95 million electors on the final roll, compared to 25.44 million in the draft roll and 27.85 million pre-SIR. The state has seen an addition of 1,564,521 and deletion of 53,229 names between the draft and final roll, leading to a net addition of 1.51 million, the highest among all states/UTs even in absolute terms.
Chhattisgarh’s final roll has 18.73 million electors compared to 18.50 million in the draft roll and 21.23 million pre-SIR. The state saw 343,801 additions and 108,807 deletions after the draft roll, translating to a net addition of 0.23 million, with Durg recording a 2.80% growth.
Goa’s final roll has 1.06 million electors compared to 1.08 million in the draft roll and 1.19 million pre-SIR. It is the only state to see more deletions than additions after the draft roll. A total of 39,592 names were excised from the state’s rolls, and only 12,166 were added in the claims and objections phase, leading to a net deletion of 27,426 compared to the draft roll.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 258,040 names in its final electoral roll, compared to 246,390 in the draft and 310,404 pre-SIR. The UT added 16,919 names after the draft roll was published and deleted 5,269, leading to a net addition of 11,650. While the UT does not have a legislative assembly, the roll will apply to the Lok Sabha elections in 2029.
