More than 73.7 lakh names have been deleted from Gujarat’s draft electoral roll following the completion of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Harit Shukla said on Friday.
According to the official statement, Gujarat’s updated draft electoral roll now includes 4.34 crore voters, after the revision exercise that began on October 27. The large-scale deletion was carried out after enumeration forms were not received from the concerned individuals despite repeated verification efforts involving Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Booth Level Agents (BLAs), and political party representatives.
Reasons for Deletion
The CEO explained that an extensive door-to-door verification drive was undertaken to identify ineligible entries. Voters were removed from the roll under the following categories:
- 18,07,278 names of deceased voters
- 40,25,553 voters who had permanently migrated
- 9,69,662 voters found absent during verification
- 3,81,470 duplicate registrations
- 1,89,364 voters under other ineligible categories
In total, 73,73,327 names were excluded from the draft roll.
Digitisation and Transparency
Shukla said all enumeration forms collected during the revision exercise have been fully digitised, ensuring greater transparency and accuracy in voter data management.
The draft electoral roll has been published at all polling stations, designated public locations, and on the Chief Electoral Officer’s official website. Copies have also been shared with recognised political parties, along with lists of voters whose enumeration forms were not submitted.
Claims and Objections Timeline
Eligible voters can file claims and objections related to inclusion, correction, or deletion of names until January 18, 2026. Election authorities will verify these submissions and resolve them after issuing notices and conducting hearings.
- Claims/objections deadline: January 18, 2026
- Disposal of claims: By February 10, 2026
- Final electoral roll publication: February 17, 2026
Massive Administrative Exercise
The revision drive involved a vast administrative machinery, including:
- 33 District Election Officers
- 182 Electoral Registration Officers
- 855 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers
- 50,963 Booth Level Officers
- 54,443 Booth Level Agents
- 30,833 volunteers
Officials said the exercise was aimed at ensuring a clean, accurate, and updated electoral roll ahead of future elections in the state.