The latest ‘SIR Draft Rolls’ expose a massive voter data revision, showing over one crore deletions across West Bengal, Rajasthan, Goa, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry — indicating a 7.6% contraction in the voter base.
Qalam Times News Network | New Delhi | December 17, 2025
SIR Draft Rolls have revealed a major update in the electoral landscape, with more than one crore names removed from the voter lists across West Bengal, Rajasthan, Goa, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry. The data released on Tuesday indicates a 7.6% reduction in the total electorate following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Official figures from the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) show a decline from 13.35 crore electors on October 27 — when the Election Commission announced the revision — to 12.33 crore in the newly released draft rolls.
Massive Electorate Reduction Highlighted in SIR Draft Rolls
According to the Election Commission, the SIR Draft Rolls only include voters who confirmed their presence by submitting enumeration forms during the verification drive that began on November 4. The remaining 1.02 crore names were classified under categories such as “shifted/absent”, “deceased”, or “enrolled at multiple places”. The large-scale deletions are comparable to the recent Bihar SIR, which resulted in nearly 8% of electors being removed.
Rajasthan: Over 42 Lakh Voters Removed
Rajasthan recorded the highest deletions — approximately 42 lakh voters, amounting to 7.66% of its electorate. Of these, 8.75 lakh were identified as deceased, 29.6 lakh as permanently shifted or absent, and 3.44 lakh as already enrolled at multiple locations. Jaipur led with over 5.3 lakh deletions, while Ajmer, Kota, Alwar, Sikar, and Pali each saw over one lakh names removed. Data from the Anta constituency was not included due to a recent by-election.
Goa: Over One Lakh Voters Dropped
Goa’s draft rolls also show a significant impact, with 1,00,042 names deleted. Goa CEO Sanjay Goel reported that out of 11,85,034 total electors, 10,84,992 (91.56%) submitted enumeration forms. The removed names include 25,574 deceased voters, 29,729 untraceable or absent electors, 40,469 who permanently shifted, and 1,997 duplicate registrations. A further 2,273 were placed under “others”, depicting individuals unwilling to register. North Goa saw 44,639 deletions, while South Goa accounted for 55,403.
Puducherry: More Than One Lakh Names Deleted
Puducherry reported the removal of 1,03,467 voter names. Officials explained that these were uncollectable forms from over 10.21 lakh distributed due to reasons including death, migration, duplication, or non-submission. Consequently, the draft roll lists 9,18,111 active electors. The breakdown includes 20,798 deceased voters, 80,645 marked as shifted or absent, and 2,024 duplicate entries to be retained at only one location under SIR protocols.
The dramatic figures under the SIR Draft Rolls process underline the Election Commission’s ongoing drive to eliminate duplication and outdated entries in electoral lists. However, the scale of deletion has reignited debates about procedural transparency and verification safeguards, especially in light of similar trends seen in earlier revisions across multiple states.
