Tamil NaduThursday, 29 October 2026·Hindu Tamil Thisai
SIR voter-roll deletions in Tamil Nadu: Stalin’s petition to President cites 97.38 lakh removals and EC accountability
Stalin petitioned President Droupadi Murmu over SIR-related voter deletions, citing Tamil Nadu figures, EC officials, and demands for review of the process.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In October 2026, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin submitted a petition to President Droupadi Murmu seeking cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing voter-roll deletions in Tamil Nadu.
Key specifics
- Tamil Nadu’s draft rolls showed 97,37,832 fewer voters than the previous list, while the final rolls showed 74,07,207 fewer voters.
- The petition said the average deletion was about 31,655 voters per constituency in Tamil Nadu.
- In Kolathur, about 1,03,812 names were deleted by December 2025, and Stalin said he won 74,202 votes in 2026 with a margin of 8,795.
- The petition cited The Hindu BusinessLine analysis: 99 constituencies had fewer than 20,000 deletions, 69 constituencies had more than 30,000 deletions, and 10 constituencies had more than 80,000 deletions.
- Stalin also sought Supreme Court advice on the legality of the 97.38 lakh deletions and asked for forensic study of ECI-Net and ERO-Net.
Exam lens
TNPSC polity and election administration question: Special Intensive Revision, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, President Droupadi Murmu, and Tamil Nadu voter-roll deletion figures are the key facts to remember.