Following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Madhya Pradesh, the state administration has reported that more than 42.74 lakh voters’ names have been removed from the draft voter list. Officials said that out of a total electorate of 5,74,06,143 voters, around 5,31,31,983 individuals participated in the enumeration exercise. The Election Commission has clarified that the draft list is provisional and that voters will have the opportunity to file claims and objections until January 22, 2026, after which the final electoral roll will be published on February 21.
According to the draft figures, the deletions were carried out for multiple reasons. Around 31.51 lakh voters, accounting for nearly 5.5 per cent of the electorate, were marked as shifted or absent from their registered addresses. Another 8.46 lakh names, or about 1.47 per cent, were removed after confirmation of the voters’ deaths. Additionally, 2.77 lakh voters were found to be registered at more than one polling location, leading to the removal of duplicate entries. Officials said these measures were aimed at improving the accuracy and integrity of the voter database across the state.
In Bhopal, the impact of the SIR was particularly significant. A total of 4,38,875 voters’ names were deleted during the revision process. As a result, the total number of registered voters in the district declined sharply from 21,25,908 before the SIR to 16,87,033 in the draft rolls. Election officials said the changes reflect a detailed verification process in the state capital, which has a large and mobile urban population.
The scale of deletions varied across Bhopal’s Assembly constituencies, underscoring how widespread the revision was within the city. Govindpura recorded the highest number of deletions, followed by constituencies such as Narela, Madhya, South-West, Huzur, North and Berasia. Officials noted that factors such as migration, duplication of entries and outdated records contributed to the large numbers seen across these segments.
Meanwhile, in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, the draft electoral rolls indicate that 27,34,817 names have been deleted since the Special Intensive Revision exercise that began in 2003. Of these, 6,42,234 voters were removed due to death. Another 19,13,540 voters were found to have permanently shifted from their earlier polling booths, while 1,79,043 names were deleted after being identified as duplicate registrations across multiple locations. Officials said similar verification standards were applied to ensure the credibility of the voter lists in the state.
