With only eight days left for the enumeration phase of Tamil Nadu’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to conclude, as many as 84.91 lakh voter forms have been classified as “uncollectable”, raising concerns that these names may be removed from the draft electoral rolls scheduled for publication on 16 December 2025.
According to data accessed on Wednesday morning, the uncollectable category currently accounts for 13.24% of the State’s 6.41 crore electorate.
Breakdown of the 84.91 Lakh Uncollectable Forms
- Permanently Shifted: 44.22 lakh
- Deceased: 26.18 lakh (as per TNIE report)
- Absent: 10.73 lakh
- Already Enrolled (Duplicate): 3.5 lakh
These figures remain provisional and are subject to revision.
CEO Clarifies Process Still Ongoing
In a statement on Wednesday evening, the Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office stressed that the SIR exercise is still underway and that the list of uncollectable entries is being shared with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of political parties for scrutiny before preparing the draft rolls. The final classification of uncollectable forms will be completed only after December 11, the last day of the enumeration phase.
Officials reiterated that deletions would be finalised only after due verification and that any eligible voter omitted from the draft roll may file claims or objections from December 16 to mid-January 2026.
Wide Variation Across Districts
SIR data revealed significant district-level variations:
- Ariyalur recorded the lowest uncollectable share: 4.3% (23,000 of 5.31 lakh voters)
- Chennai recorded the highest: 31.78% (12.73 lakh of 40.05 lakh voters) — nearly one in three electors
- Chengalpattu followed with 20.7% uncollectable forms (5.78 lakh)
Officials attributed Chennai’s high “Permanently Shifted” numbers to rapid urbanisation and residential mobility.
Digitisation Figures: Clarifying Confusion
The Election Commission of India (ECI) had earlier stated that Tamil Nadu achieved:
- 99.45% distribution of SIR forms (6.38 crore)
- 94.32% digitisation of forms (6.05 crore)
However, a detailed internal report accessed Wednesday showed that actual digitisation of returned forms stands at 82.57% (5.29 crore), excluding uncollectable forms. When uncollectable forms are included in the EC’s category of “digitised”, the percentage becomes 95.81%.
Officials confirmed that the 82.57% figure represents voters whose forms were returned and digitised, meaning their names are expected to appear on the draft rolls unless removed during AERO/ERO verification — a scenario described as “highly unlikely.”
Statewide Picture: 59 Lakh Names Set for Deletion, 24 Lakh Deceased Identified
Parallel ECI data as of 29 November 2025 (10 p.m.) showed that:
- 58.91 lakh voters did not return their enumeration forms (9.19% of total electorate)
- 23.83 lakh among them were identified as deceased
Overall, around 59 lakh names may be deleted for reasons including death, untraceability, duplicate entry, and permanent shifting.
At a recent press briefing, Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik confirmed that deletions would be carried out under five categories:
- Death
- Untraceable
- Permanently Shifted
- Duplicate Entry
- Other Reasons
Constituency-Level Impact: Chennai Worst Hit
Chennai’s 16 constituencies could see 5.72 lakh voters removed from the rolls:
- 1.29 lakh deceased
- 4.12 lakh permanently shifted
- 10,614 duplicate entries
- Other major districts with high unreturned forms:
- Chengalpattu: 4.39 lakh
- Tiruvallur: 3.36 lakh
Highest Impact Constituencies
Pallavaram (Chengalpattu): 1.43 lakh of 4.44 lakh voters failed to submit forms
Chepauk–Tiruvallikeni (DMK Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s constituency): 72,950 unsubmitted forms
SIR Drive: 68,470 BLOs on the Ground
The Special Intensive Revision began on November 4 with a workforce of 68,470 Booth Level Officers conducting door-to-door enumeration. The draft electoral roll will be released on December 16, after which citizens may raise objections or seek restoration until 15 January 2026.
Officials emphasised that the current numbers would continue to change until the enumeration deadline, and the final voter count will only be known once the draft roll is published.
(Source: DTNext & The New Indian Express)
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