Source TOI
CHENNAI, December 19, 2025 — The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday released the integrated draft electoral roll for the poll-bound state of Tamil Nadu, revealing a massive deletion of over 97.37 lakh voters. The capital city of Chennai alone saw 14.25 lakh names removed, sparking a fierce political debate between the ruling DMK and the opposition AIADMK-BJP combine ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
The Numbers at a Glance
According to Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Archana Patnaik, the state’s total electorate has dropped from approximately 6.41 crore (as of October 27, 2025) to 5.43 crore following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Category of Deletion Number of Voters
Permanently Shifted / Migrated 66.44 Lakh
Deceased Voters 26.94 Lakh
Duplicate Entries (Multiple places) 3.39 Lakh
Total Deletions 97,37,831
In Chennai, the electorate shrank from 40.04 lakh to 25.79 lakh. District officials noted that constituencies like Sholinganallur and Pallavaram recorded the highest number of deletions due to high migration and urban mobility.
Political Firestorm: “Sanitization” or “Targeting”?
The publication of the draft roll has triggered a “SIR Showdown” in the state’s political corridors:
DMK’s Allegations: Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and the ruling DMK have slammed the exercise, calling it a “calculated attempt to delete legitimate voters.” The party had earlier moved the Supreme Court, alleging that the revision timeline was too short and that the exercise unfairly targeted minorities and working-class voters who might have been away during door-to-door verification.
Opposition Response: AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami welcomed the move, stating it proves their long-standing claim of “fake votes” in the system. “The DMK is in anxiety because their dream of using fake votes to win has been shattered,” he said. The BJP also backed the SIR, describing it as a necessary step for “electoral purity.”
How Can Voters Verify Their Status?
CEO Archana Patnaik emphasized that no eligible voter will be excluded without due process. The current list is only a draft, and a “Claims and Objections” period is now open.
Check Online: Residents can visit voters.eci.gov.in or the CEO Tamil Nadu portal to check their names using their EPIC number.
Deadline for Corrections: Voters whose names were mistakenly deleted or first-time voters can submit Form 6 (for inclusion) or Form 8 (for correction) between December 19, 2025, and January 18, 2026.
Final Roll: The final electoral roll for the 2026 Assembly elections is scheduled to be published on February 7, 2026.
“The revision is guided by the principle of maximum inclusion. Deletions are only carried out after issuing notice and passing a reasoned order,” the CEO’s office clarified.
