SIR draft rolls see over 13 crore deletions so far, Delhi leads with 33% left out

The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, initiated in June 2024, has resulted in the deletion of over 13 crore names from draft rolls in 30 States and Union Territories, with Delhi and Maharashtra showing particularly high percentages of deletions. Delhi's draft roll, published on Monday, saw a reduction of 32.8% from 1.45 crore to 97.53 lakh electors, while Maharashtra's experienced a 21.1% decrease from 9.78 crore to 7.71 crore.

The overall total deletions across the third phase of the SIR in 17 States/UTs have reached 6.15 crore. The EC announced the third phase on May 14, targeting 16 States and three Union Territories. In Delhi, 29.86% of electors were marked absent or shifted, 1.95% were deceased, and 0.98% were enrolled at multiple places. Maharashtra reported 3.56% of electors as deceased, 15.78% as permanently shifted, and 1.81% enrolled at multiple locations.

Correctly deleted names can be re-included in the final roll within a month. The SIR process involves registered electors submitting enumeration forms, mapping themselves to their names or parents' names in the last intensive revision, and providing documents to prove eligibility. The Supreme Court upheld the SIR order in May 2025, dismissing challenges to the commission's powers and process.