Tamil Nadu removes over 1 crore voter names; CM Stalin’s Kolathur sees biggest cut

Chennai, Dec 2025 : Tamil Nadu’s latest electoral roll revision has led to the removal of more than 1,03,812 voters from Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s Kolathur constituency, marking one of the most significant single reductions in the state’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The draft voter list released after the revision signals a major clean-up aimed at eliminating invalid, duplicate, or outdated entries ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections. The large-scale removal of names reflects one of the most extensive verification drives undertaken in the state.

As of October 27, before the SIR process began, Tamil Nadu had 6,41,14,587 registered voters. After the verification, the number has dropped dramatically to 5,43,76,755 — a reduction of 97,37,831 names. Election authorities said this steep fall resulted from identifying deceased voters, people who have migrated, and duplicate enrolments.

According to the newly released draft roll, the state now has 2,77,06,332 women, 2,66,63,233 men, 7,191 transgender voters, and 4,19,355 voters with disabilities.

Data from the SIR shows that 26,94,672 voter names were struck off due to deaths, 66,44,881 due to migration, while 3,39,278 were classified as duplicate records. Officials added that stronger digital cross-checks and extensive field verification helped them achieve this scale of accuracy.

Kolathur, considered a stronghold of Chief Minister Stalin, saw a steep 35.71 per cent cut in its voter list. The constituency now has 1,86,841 voters according to the draft list.

The purge has also affected the constituencies of other major political leaders. In Edappadi constituency — represented by AIADMK general secretary and Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami — 26,375 voter names were removed, leaving the constituency with 2,67,374 voters.

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s Chepauk–Triplicane constituency recorded 89,241 deletions, bringing its total down from 2,40,087 to 1,50,846. Similarly, BJP state president Nainar Nagenthran’s Tirunelveli constituency saw 42,119 deletions, resulting in a total of 2,63,685 voters.

The magnitude of the voter roll clean-up is expected to spark political debate, with parties likely to scrutinise the draft list closely. Public claims and objections are anticipated as the draft is examined across the state.

With Assembly elections approaching in 2026, political organisations are expected to reassess electoral strategies, constituency strengths, and voter outreach plans based on the revised data, marking the beginning of an intense political season in Tamil Nadu.