The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Tamil Nadu’s electoral rolls, which commenced on November 4, resulted in the deletion of 97.38 lakh names from the draft electoral roll released on December 19. Following the revision, the total number of voters in the state dropped to 5.43 crore, triggering widespread public attention.Individuals whose names were removed from the draft list, as well as citizens who had recently turned 18 and became eligible to vote, were given an opportunity to apply for inclusion. In response to a direction from the Supreme Court, the Election Commission granted an additional 10 days for submission of applications, extending the deadline until February 10.
The extension led to a delay in finalising the electoral rolls, as officials undertook verification and processing of the large number of applications received during the additional period.
Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik has now announced that the final voter list will be published on February 23 after completion of verification and uploading of all updated entries. The publication of the final roll will set the stage for upcoming electoral processes in the state.