The Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) second phase has reduced voters by about 5.4 crore in 12 states and Union Territories. Uttar Pradesh saw 2.05 crore names deleted with the release of its final electoral roll. The process began on October 27, 2025.
The Election Commission has completed the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in nine states and three Union Territories, with Uttar Pradesh receiving an extension until April 10 for its final roll publication. Across these 12 units—Rajasthan, Goa, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and UP—the electorate fell from 50.97 crore to 45.59 crore, a reduction of 5.38 crore.
In Uttar Pradesh, the number dropped from 15.44 crore to 13.39 crore, a 13.23% decline, with 2.05 crore names deleted, Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said at a press conference in Lucknow. While 84.28 lakh names were added, urban districts like Lucknow (22.89%, 9.14 lakh) and Ghaziabad (20.24%, 5.75 lakh) saw the highest deletions.
Gujarat recorded the highest cut at 13.39%, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 13.23%, Chhattisgarh at 11.77%, West Bengal at 11.63%, and Tamil Nadu at 11.55%. Andaman and Nicobar Islands had the largest percentage decrease at 16.86%.
Unlike regular revisions, SIR required electors to submit forms within a month or face deletion, along with documents proving eligibility including citizenship. The process, announced June 24, 2025, has faced Supreme Court challenges from critics calling it a backdoor citizenship check. The next phase will cover remaining states and UTs.
