ECI Removes Over 1.5 Crore Names in Third Phase of Voter Roll Revision

New Delhi, August 09, 2026 The Election Commission of India (ECI) has removed more than 1.5 crore names from electoral rolls during the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), as part of an ongoing effort to verify voter records and keep electoral lists updated. According to data released by the ECI and analysed by The Hindu, a total of 1,58,59,834 names have been removed from draft electoral rolls published across 12 States and Union Territories. Before the revision, these areas had 13,77,27,807 voters, of whom 11.51% were removed following door-to-door verification and other checks. The deletions include names of voters who were not found at their registered addresses, had moved to other locations, were reported dead, or had registrations in more than one place. Andhra Pradesh recorded the largest number of deletions, with 44.89 lakh names removed, amounting to 10.78% of its previous voter base. Its draft electoral roll has consequently declined from 4.16 crore electors to 3.71 crore. Of the deleted names in the State, 22.30 lakh were associated with voters who had shifted or could not be found at their registered addresses, 15.22 lakh were linked to voters reported dead, and 7.37 lakh were identified as having registrations at multiple locations. Haryana recorded the second-highest number of deletions at 33.83 lakh, followed by Odisha with 20.12 lakh. Sikkim had the fewest deletions at 37,724, followed by Mizoram with 46,162. In terms of the percentage of names removed, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu recorded the highest proportion at 29.64%, followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 19.09%, Haryana at 16.38% and Chandigarh at 12.8%. Mizoram recorded the lowest proportion at 5.2%. Other deletion rates included 6.02% in Odisha, 7.5% in Manipur, 10.39% in Uttarakhand, 7.67% in Meghalaya, 16.48% in Jharkhand and 8% in Sikkim. The third phase covers 16 States and three Union Territories. Draft rolls have been published for 12 of them, while the enumeration and verification process has been extended in Delhi, Punjab, Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra. Draft rolls for Tripura and Nagaland are also awaited. The final electoral rolls are yet to be prepared, as citizens have been given an opportunity to submit claims and objections concerning additions or deletions. Eligible people can also seek registration, meaning the voter count could change before the final lists are released. The SIR exercise has already been completed in Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep, while Assam underwent a separate “special revision” due to legal considerations concerning the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The SIR process has also triggered differences between Opposition parties and the ECI and has faced legal challenges. In March, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the constitutional validity of the ECI’s decision to conduct the SIR. As the third phase progresses, the Commission is continuing its verification work, with the claims and objections mechanism providing eligible voters an opportunity to correct records or seek inclusion before the final electoral rolls are published.