4 months ago
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The State Public (Elections) Department, which released the cardinal findings of the archetypal signifier of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls connected December 19, 2025 successful Tamil Nadu, has overmuch to reply astir the mode the workout was carried out. This is not conscionable due to the fact that 97.4 lakh names person been removed from the rolls, but besides due to the fact that of the mode successful which the section has carried retired the task.
Besides, the claims made by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), who heads the department, are excessively bully to beryllium true. The assertion of distributing implicit 6.41 crore enumeration forms with 100% sum appears questionable, arsenic galore voters whose names were connected the rolls until precocious study that nary officials visited their residences to administer the forms, adjacent successful cities specified arsenic Chennai and Coimbatore. On the contrary, respective voters reached retired to their section officers to get the forms. Those who could not were near out. Some voters besides recovered to their dismay that their names had been deleted adjacent aft submitting the forms online “successfully”.
Another connection — that booth-level officers (BLOs) made “at slightest 3 visits” for postulation — raises questions. In immoderate places specified arsenic Tiruvarur and Tiruchi, the officials visited voters twice. But successful Chennai and Madurai, largely, they visited voters lone once. The aforesaid was the lawsuit successful Chidambaram. In 1 case, successful Tiruvallur district, enumeration forms were “submitted” without the cognition of the voters concerned. This cannot beryllium dismissed lightly. In fact, my sanction and Elector Photo Identity Card (EPIC) fig were deleted from the electoral rolls astatine my existent residence successful Chennai — wherever I person lived for implicit a decennary — during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, without anterior notice. Luckily, arsenic my sanction was inactive successful the aged address, from which I had moved retired galore years ago, the authorities advised maine to formed my vote. Also, I was assigned a caller EPIC fig astatine the code that was nary longer my residence, again without my knowledge.
Regarding the astir contentious facet — the Absent/Shifted/Deceased (ASD) class — it has not yet been clarified however the Election Commission oregon the section determines these figures, adjacent though this class accounts for each deleted voters. After taking into relationship the deletions, the revised spot of electors comes to astir 5.44 crore.
As regards however the authorities arrived astatine the decision astir the deceased, whose fig is astir 27 lakh, the CEO, Archana Patnaik, says the appraisal was made based connected tract inquiry. While galore voters whitethorn not person decease certificates, immoderate BLOs importune connected collecting decease certificates. As for the ‘shifted’ and ‘absentee’ cases, numbering 664 lakh, it is unclear however this fig has been arrived astatine erstwhile galore tenants person not travel crossed officials inquiring astir the erstwhile occupants.
Regarding information dissemination, the authorities did not people district-wise play advancement of enumeration connected the CEO’s website. Only aft efforts of the media did the bureau spot successful the nationalist domain the information regarding the Assembly constituency-wise interruption up of ASD. But, again, nary authoritative information are disposable connected the gender-wise interruption up of ASD.
There are besides reports of anomalies successful the deletions. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, successful an enactment with DMK colleagues a fewer days ago, flagged deletions exceeding 10% successful 168 Assembly constituencies. He pointed retired however 4 radical successful a booth successful the Gummidipoondi Assembly constituency, enrolled arsenic electors during the party’s thrust astir 4 months ago, had been near out, with 1 idiosyncratic having been identified arsenic the deceased.
What is evident is that the draught rolls are not error-free oregon flawless. Under specified circumstances, it is earthy for the ruling enactment and its allies to explicit their concerns implicit large-scale deletions. Only the AIADMK wide secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami, came retired successful enactment of the SIR which, helium said, had reinforced his party’s contention that astir of the deleted voters were bogus voters.
However, the 2 Dravidian majors are connected the aforesaid leafage erstwhile they accidental that nary genuine elector should beryllium near retired arsenic inclusions tin inactive beryllium made up to January 18. Before the State moves to the adjacent stage, the CEO and the Election Commission would bash good to wide each these apprehensions and doubts truthful that a conducive situation is created for a escaped and just predetermination adjacent year.
