3 months ago
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The Election Commission of India’s (EC) Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls — a large-scale workout aimed astatine updating elector lists — is being carried retired across 12 States and Union Territories covering adjacent to 51 crore voters. The enumeration signifier of the workout began successful November 2025. Among these States and UTs, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Puducherry are scheduled to spell to the polls successful April 2026.
The archetypal circular of the clean-up workout was carried retired earlier successful Bihar, wherever much than 65 lakh names were deleted from the electoral rolls and the sex ratio fell sharply from 907 women per 1,000 men to 892 women aft the SIR.
The Hindu had recovered that the exclusions were higher successful the 18-29 property category, with 1 of the superior reasons being that the women had ‘permanently shifted’. The ECI had past said successful the Supreme Court that women’s names would person been excluded arsenic they had migrated to different States aft marriage. Yet, The Hindu’s information stories had shown that much men migrated for enactment than women who migrated for marriage, according to the Census and aboriginal surveys. This raises the question of whether akin patterns are disposable successful different States wherever the SIR workout has been carried out. The array shows the alteration successful sex ratio (women per 1000 men) successful Lok Sabha 2024 electoral rolls and last SIR rolls crossed States and Union Territories.
Decline crossed States
Data from the 2024 Lok Sabha predetermination rolls and the last SIR rolls amusement that portion the driblet successful sex ratio is not arsenic steep arsenic successful Bihar, each large States person recorded a diminution successful the proportionality of women voters comparative to men aft the revision. Tamil Nadu is the notable exception, wherever the sex ratio improved adjacent though the State besides witnessed 1 of the largest reductions successful full electors pursuing the exercise. The array shows the percent diminution successful electors crossed States and UTs, comparing pre-SIR rolls and Lok Sabha 2024 rolls with last SIR rolls
Uttar Pradesh has not been included successful this investigation arsenic the last electoral rotation for the State is yet to beryllium published. The EC has extended the revision docket aggregate times and the last rotation is present expected to beryllium released connected April 10.
In West Bengal, the sex ratio fell somewhat from astir 966 women per 1,000 men successful the 2024 Lok Sabha rolls to astir 956 per 1,000 men aft the SIR revision. The State besides recorded 1 of the largest reductions successful its electorate — a 8.06% decline. Nearly 60 lakh radical are inactive being adjudicated for “logical discrepancies” but are portion of the rolls truthful far.
The sex ratio successful Gujarat recorded a sharper displacement arsenic it fell from astir 945 women to astir 938 successful the last SIR rolls. The full electorate declined from 5.08 crore to 4.4 crore, a simplification of 13.4% of the electorate.
Madhya Pradesh besides saw a diminution successful the sex ratio aft the revision, from 945 women to 934 successful the last SIR rolls.
The State’s electorate shrank from astir 5.74 crore voters earlier the SIR to 5.39 crore successful the last rolls, a simplification of astir 34.25 lakh electors (5.97%).
The fig of women electors successful Rajasthan fell from astir 2.56 crore to 2.45 crore, portion the fig of antheral electors declined much modestly. The sex ratio dropped from 920 to 911. Overall, the State’s electorate witnessed a 6.13% reduction.
In contrast, Tamil Nadu, 1 of the States wherever women signifier a bulk connected the electoral rolls, recorded an betterment successful the sex ratio.
The ratio accrued from 1,034 women per 1,000 men successful the 2024 rolls to 1,044 successful the last SIR rolls. But the full electorate successful the State declined from 6.41 to 5.67 crore, a simplification of astir 74 lakh electors, oregon 11.5% from the pre SIR rolls.
However, Kerala, different State with a higher fig of women voters than men, saw a diminution successful the sex ratio aft the revision. The ratio fell from 1,064 to 1,053 successful the last SIR rolls, though women proceed to stay much galore than men connected the electoral rolls. The full electorate besides declined by astir 3.2%.
Similarly, women proceed to somewhat outnumber men successful Chhattisgarh though the ratio fell from 1,016 to 1,002 successful the last SIR rolls. The full electorate declined by astir 11.77%.
Goa is besides among the States wherever women proceed to outnumber men. But the State’s electorate saw a important contraction. The full fig of voters saw a diminution of astir 10.7% of voters.
Status of Union Territories
Among Union Territories, Puducherry, has historically seen higher women information and practice connected the rolls and continued to amusement a beardown pistillate beingness adjacent aft the revision. However, the full fig of voters declined from astir 10.2 lakh to 9.4 lakh, representing a 7.5% reduction.
In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the sex ratio roseate from 919 to 979 aft the revision. The fig of pistillate electors fell by a smaller borderline compared with antheral electors, starring to an summation successful the ratio adjacent arsenic the wide electorate dropped significantly. The rolls declined from 3.1 lakh to astir 2.58 lakh voters, representing a simplification of 16.8%, the largest proportional declines among the regions analysed.
Lakshadweep, connected the different hand, saw lone a marginal summation successful the sex ratio from 968 women voters to 971 successful the last SIR rolls. The Union territory recorded astir nary alteration successful its electorate with conscionable a 0.3% drop.
With inputs from Mohammed Iqbal, Sreeparna Chakrabarty and Shubhomoy Sikdar.
The information for the charts were sourced from Election committee of India.
