The New Indian Express News

Over 73.73 lakh names deleted as Gujarat publishes draft electoral rolls after SIR

AHMEDABAD: Gujarats Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has reached a decisive milestone with the publication of the draft voter list, revealing the removal of over 73.73 lakh names while opening a one-month window for objections till January 18, 2026. The spotlight now shifts from enumeration to correction, as voters whose names are missing or incorrectly included have been given time till January 18, 2026, to file objections or seek inclusion, a process that election officials will verify and dispose of by February 10, 2026. While 4.34 crore voters stand registered in the draft roll, as many as 73.73 lakh names have been removed during the SIR process. Chief Electoral Officer Harit Shukla said that 33 District Election Officers, 182 Voter Registration Officers, 855 Assistant Voter Registration Officers, 50,963 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), 54,443 Booth Level Agents (BLAs), and 30,833 volunteers were deployed across Gujarat for the process. Before the revision began, Gujarat had 5,08,43,436 registered voters, but after the draft roll was finalised, the figure now stands at 4,34,70,109, reflecting the removal of duplicate, outdated and invalid entries. Election officials clarified that the deletions followed physical verification and documentation checks conducted during continuous door-to-door surveys. A category-wise breakup of the deleted names are shown below: Deceased voters: 18,07,278 Absent voters: 9,69,662 Permanently migrated voters: 40,25,553 Voters registered at two places: 3,81,470 Others: 1,89,364 According to the official press note, despite extensive publicity and repeated visits by BLOs, many voters could not be traced or failed to return enumeration forms. In several cases, voters had shifted permanently, registered elsewhere, were deceased, or chose not to remain on the voter list, the note stated, explaining why such names were excluded from the draft roll. In another significant outcome, officials confirmed that verification of 10.69 lakh discrepancies flagged under the ASD (Absent, Shifted, Dead) category has already been completed. With this level of verification and digitisation, Gujarat has set a benchmark in the counting phase of the Special Intensive Revision, Shukla claimed, underlining that the final electoral roll will be shaped only after objections and claims are fully examined.