New Delhi: The Election Commission on Friday announced the completion of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across six states and three Union Territories, reporting large-scale deletions of ineligible voters following a detailed verification exercise.

According to an official release issued by the Election Commission, Gujarat recorded the highest net deletion during the revision process. The state’s total electorate declined from 5,08,43,436 before the SIR to 4,40,30,725 after the exercise, reflecting a decrease of 13.40 per cent with 68,12,711 names removed. Madhya Pradesh followed with 34,25,078 deletions, bringing its electorate down from 5,74,06,143 to 5,39,81,065, a fall of 5.97 per cent.

Major revisions across key states

Rajasthan also witnessed a substantial drop in voter numbers. The state’s electoral roll reduced from 5,46,56,215 to 5,15,19,929, marking a net deletion of 31,36,286 names. In Chhattisgarh, the electorate declined from 2,12,30,737 to 1,87,30,914, with 24,99,823 names removed during the revision.

Kerala saw its voter count decrease from 2,78,50,855 to 2,69,53,644, resulting in a net reduction of 8,97,211 electors. Goa recorded a fall from 11,85,034 to 10,57,566, reflecting a deletion of 1,27,468 names.

Changes in Union Territories

Among Union Territories, Andaman and Nicobar Islands saw the electorate shrink from 3,10,404 to 2,58,040, a reduction of 52,364 voters. Puducherry’s roll declined from 10,21,578 to 9,44,211, with 77,367 names removed. Lakshadweep registered a marginal drop from 57,813 to 57,607, amounting to 206 deletions.

Officials clarified that the net change represents the difference between ineligible electors removed and newly added eligible voters. Reasons for deletion include death, permanent migration, duplicate registrations, or other eligibility-related factors. The Commission noted that the electoral roll remains a continuous process, and eligible citizens may still apply for inclusion, correction, or deletion.

Next phase of nationwide drive

The Election Commission has begun the SIR process across 12 states as part of a broader nationwide verification exercise. Data for West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu is expected to be released later this month. The Commission has also written to Chief Electoral Officers of other states to initiate preparatory steps for the next phase, which is scheduled to begin in April.

Final electoral rolls have already been published for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Of the 12 states included in the second phase, only three remain pending.