New Delhi: Following the second round of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), as many as 3.67 crore names have been deleted from the draft electoral rolls published for 11 states and Union Territories. This accounts for slightly over 10 per cent of the total electorate. The primary reasons for deletion include death of voters, change of residence, and multiple registrations at more than one location.

In the second round of SIR, the draft electoral roll of Uttar Pradesh, the 12th and final state, will be published on December 31. On Tuesday, draft lists were released for Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Draft rolls for West Bengal, Rajasthan, Goa, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Gujarat, and Tamil Nadu had been published earlier over the past 10 days. According to the Election Commission, genuine voters will have an opportunity to be re-included in the draft rolls by submitting the prescribed forms during the objection period, which remains open until January 22.

Earlier this year, during the first phase of SIR in Bihar, nearly 65 lakh names were deleted from a total electorate of 7.89 crore voters. Subsequently, during the objection period, about three lakh names were reinstated, and with new additions, the final voter count rose to 7.42 crore. An analysis shows that out of 35.52 crore voters in the previous electoral rolls of 10 states and Union Territories, 31.85 crore names have found a place in the draft lists.

Of the names already deleted, 99.81 lakh voters have been identified as deceased, 2.47 crore voters had shifted from their registered addresses, and 18.60 lakh names were removed due to multiple registrations across polling stations.

State-wise, Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of deletions, with 97.37 lakh names (15.19 per cent) removed from the draft rolls out of 6.41 crore voters. In Gujarat, 73.73 lakh names (14.5 per cent) were deleted from a total electorate of 5.08 crore.

Among Union Territories, the highest percentage of deletions was reported in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, where 20.62 per cent (64,014 names) were removed out of 3.10 lakh voters. In absolute numbers, Puducherry topped the list, with 1.03 lakh names (10.12 per cent) excluded from the draft rolls out of 10.21 lakh voters.

The proportion of deleted voters ranged between 7.45 per cent and 8.65 per cent in Madhya Pradesh (7.45%), West Bengal (7.59%), Rajasthan (7.65%), Goa (8.44%), and Kerala (8.65%). Chhattisgarh stood out, with 27.34 lakh names deleted from a total electorate of 2.12 crore, accounting for a 12.88 per cent reduction.

Source: Vartha Bharathi (Translated in english)