Massive Overhaul: Gujarat's Voter Roll Clean-up Removes 74 Lakh Names

In a sweeping update, Gujarat's draft electoral rolls have seen nearly 74 lakh voters removed. The Special Intensive Revision exercise reduced the total elector count to 4.34 crore from a previous 5.08 crore. Voters were omitted due to death, migration, duplicate registration, or absenteeism.

In Gujarat, an extensive revision of the state's electoral rolls has dramatically slashed the number of registered voters by nearly 74 lakh. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, which concluded in mid-December, was aimed at purifying the electoral register.

According to data released by the Election Commission on Friday, the total count of voters now stands at 4.34 crore, down from the previous figure of 5.08 crore. The latest draft rolls pinpoint deceased individuals, those who have migrated, and voters with duplicate registrations as categories targeted for removal.

State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Hareet Shukla emphasized that the SIR's meticulous efforts identified 18.07 lakh deceased voters, 9.69 lakh voters categorized as absent, 40.25 lakh who permanently migrated, and nearly 3.81 lakh voters registered at multiple locations. Residents have been invited to file objections or claims regarding their registration until January 18.