The Election Commission of India has removed more than 1.5 crore names from electoral rolls during the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), in a continuous effort to keep voter lists accurate and ensure that only eligible voters remain listed. According to data shared by the authority and analysed by news reports, exactly 1,58,59,834 names have been taken off the draft electoral rolls published across 12 States and Union Territories.

11.51% of Names Cleared Following Ground Verification

The 12 States and Union Territories where draft rolls have been published originally accounted for a collective total of 13,77,27,807 registered voters prior to the current revision drive. Following comprehensive door-to-door verification and extensive checks, 1,58,59,834 entries—representing 11.51% of the total—were systematically deleted.

These deleted entries represent electors who were found absent from their registered addresses, citizens who had permanently shifted, deceased individuals, or duplicate registrations recorded in multiple locations. The underlying objective of this intensive exercise remains to preserve the integrity of electoral rolls and remove non-qualifying entries.

The total count of electors remains dynamic. Citizens seeking to modify entries or register as new voters can manage their details or raise claims using the Voter's Services Portal. Because eligible citizens continue to submit applications, the finalized electoral lists are expected to reflect further updates.

Andhra Pradesh Registers Highest Volume of Name Removals

In absolute terms, Andhra Pradesh recorded the single highest volume of deletions across the country. A total of 44.89 lakh names—accounting for 10.78% of the state's previous electoral roll—were removed. Consequently, the state’s draft electoral list decreased from 4.16 crore down to 3.71 crore electors.

A closer look at the 44.89 lakh deleted entries in Andhra Pradesh reveals that 22.30 lakh belonged to individuals who had relocated or could not be traced at their listed residence. An additional 15.22 lakh entries pertained to deceased electors, while 7.37 lakh were identified as duplicate registrations across multiple places.

Haryana registered the second-highest deletion volume with 33.83 lakh names removed, followed by Odisha at 20.12 lakh. On the lower end of the scale, Sikkim recorded the fewest removals at 37,724, followed by Mizoram at 46,162.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli Posts Highest Percentage Cut

When evaluated by proportion, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu recorded the largest percentage reduction, with 29.64% of names removed from their electoral rolls. Arunachal Pradesh followed with a 19.09% reduction, Haryana at 16.38%, and Chandigarh at 12.8%.

By contrast, Mizoram recorded the lowest overall deletion rate at 5.2%.

Looking at other regions, Odisha saw a 6.02% deletion rate, Manipur recorded 7.5%, Uttarakhand stood at 10.39%, Meghalaya reached 7.67%, and Jharkhand recorded 16.48%. In Sikkim, exactly 8% of previous listings were removed.

SIR 3.0 Drives Forward in 16 States and 3 Union Territories

The third phase of the Special Intensive Revision is actively underway across 16 States and three Union Territories: Delhi, Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Telangana, Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Tripura, alongside Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Draft electoral lists have already been formally released for 12 of these participating States and Union Territories.

Because door-to-door enumeration and verification periods were extended in Delhi, Punjab, Telangana, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, their respective draft lists have not yet been published. Official draft rolls for Tripura and Nagaland are also pending release.

SIR Phase Previously Completed in Multiple Regions

The intensive revision drive has already wrapped up across a significant portion of the country, including Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.

In Assam, a distinct "special revision" was carried out separately to accommodate specific legal conditions connected to the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Apex Court Confirmed Legal Validity of Revision Drive

The execution of the SIR process previously generated debate between political parties and election authorities, leading to legal challenges in court.

In March, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the constitutional validity of the decision to conduct the Special Intensive Revision.

As Phase 3 progresses, details continue to be verified on the main Election Commission of India Portal. The verification framework ensures valid voters remain listed while duplicate or outdated records are systematically purged before final publication.