---
title: "Voter Roll Purge: 1.58 Crore Names Struck from Electoral Lists in National Audit"
url: https://projectchintan.com/article/election-commission-sir-voter-list-deletions-data-analysis-98jvz
publisher: Project Chintan
author: Project Chintan Newsroom
published: 2026-08-08T17:30:00.000Z
modified: 2026-08-08T20:01:36.373Z
language: en-IN
---

# Voter Roll Purge: 1.58 Crore Names Struck from Electoral Lists in National Audit

The Election Commission's intensive revision has eliminated over 15 million entries across 12 regions due to deaths, relocations, and duplicate filings. While Andhra Pradesh saw the highest absolute volume of removals, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu recorded the largest percentage drop.

## Key takeaways

- Over 1.58 crore names were deleted in the third phase of the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision across 12 states and union territories.
- The Supreme Court has upheld the SIR process, ruling it consistent with the Representation of the People Act despite opposition challenges.
- Reasons for removal include voter death, relocation, and multiple enrollments, with 15.22 lakh deceased individuals removed from the rolls.
- Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, and Odisha saw the highest absolute number of deletions, though citizens can still file objections to the draft lists.

## Why It Matters

Maintaining the integrity of democratic processes requires an accurate database of eligible citizens. This massive administrative undertaking, known as Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 3.0, aims to sanitize voter rolls that have become inflated over time. By removing millions of invalid entries, the Election Commission attempts to ensure that electoral outcomes reflect the actual resident population and prevent potential fraud stemming from duplicate registrations or the misuse of deceased voters' credentials.

## Key Facts

- The third phase of the SIR covers 16 states and three Union Territories.
- Data analysis shows 1,58,59,834 names—representing 11.51% of the total—were removed from the 12 regions where draft lists are now public.
- Andhra Pradesh recorded the highest volume of deletions at 44.89 lakh names, shrinking its total electorate from 4.16 crore to 3.71 crore.
- Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu saw the highest proportional reduction at 29.64%, while Mizoram saw the lowest at 5.2%.
- Specific causes for deletion included 22.30 lakh individuals who shifted or were absent, 15.22 lakh deceased voters, and 7.37 lakh multiple enrollments.

## Background

The SIR 3.0 initiative includes Delhi, Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Telangana, Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Tripura, and the combined UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. Earlier phases have already been finalized in major states like Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu. Due to complexities involving the National Register of Citizens, Assam underwent a distinct "special revision" process. Although the initiative faced legal challenges and political friction, the Supreme Court recently confirmed the move is constitutionally valid under the Representation of the People Act.

## What Happens Next

The current figures are not final. The Election Commission has established a window for citizens to submit formal claims and objections. This period allows for the correction of wrongful deletions and the registration of newly eligible voters. Additionally, door-to-door verification continues in Delhi, Punjab, Telangana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, where draft lists are still pending publication.

Source: The Hindu

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Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/election-commission-sir-voter-list-deletions-data-analysis-98jvz
Reported from: The Hindu