Tamil Nadu Electoral Roll Revision: EC To Issue Notices To 10 Lakh Voters Over Incomplete SIR Forms

Chennai: The Election Commission is set to issue notices to around one million voters in Tamil Nadu who did not properly fill out their Special Intensive Revision (SIR) forms, seeking clarification before finalising the electoral roll.

Following Bihar, the EC in Tamil Nadu also undertook a Special Intensive Revision of its electoral rolls. As part of the exercise, booth-level officers went door to door distributing SIR application forms. The revision process began on November 4 and concluded on December 14.

The draft electoral roll for Tamil Nadu was published on December 19. According to official data, the names of 97,37,832 voters were deleted for reasons including death, non-residence at the listed address, migration, and duplicate entries. Prior to the revision, the state had 6.41 crore registered voters. This figure has now dropped to 5.43 crore, marking a reduction of about 15.18 per cent.

While the deletion of around 65 lakh names in Bihar triggered widespread political controversy, the removal of nearly one crore names in Tamil Nadu has also caused a significant stir.

In response, the Election Commission of India has said that voters whose names are missing from the draft roll, or those who have changed addresses, can submit Form 8. New voters can apply using Form 6. All applications, along with supporting documents, must be submitted by January 18. Special camps have also been organised in Chennai to facilitate the process.

Meanwhile, officials have indicated that voters who failed to properly complete the SIR forms may also have had their names removed. As a result, notices will be sent to approximately 10 lakh such voters by district election offices, asking them to clarify their status.

Recipients of these notices will be required to submit any one of 13 prescribed documents, including a birth certificate or proof of permanent residence. The list also includes the Nativity Certificate, which is issued online by the Tamil Nadu government through its e-service portal. While the certificate normally carries a fee of ₹60, the state government has now waived the charge.

In this connection, Additional Chief Secretary Amudha has written to all district collectors and the Tamil Nadu e-Governance Agency, which manages e-service centres. The letter states that, given the ongoing SIR process, the issuance fee for Nativity Certificates is being waived. It also allows Zonal Deputy Tahsildars and Taluk Deputy Tahsildars to issue the certificates manually until January 25.