About 96.22% of the Tamil Nadu electors have been given the enumeration forms for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. And 50% of them have returned the forms filled up, Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said in Chennai on Monday.
Speaking to journalists at the Secretariat, she said about 6.41 crore people were on the electoral rolls of Tamil Nadu as of October 27. The forms were distributed by the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to 6.16 crore voters (96.22%).
Deletion of names
To a question on claims of mass deletion of names, Ms. Patnaik said, “As I said earlier, no eligible voter can be removed from the rolls without a specific reason assigned.” For any person to be removed, a reason would have to be assigned. “It has to be displayed polling booth-wise.”
Asked what could an elector do if his/her name was not part of the draft rolls to be published on December 9, she said, “If the name does not appear for some reason, we have the claims and objections period. They can apply again.”
To a question on claims that in many districts, BLOs had reportedly told the electors that they need not fill up some parts of the forms, Ms. Patnaik said, “All parts have to be completed. If your name is on the 2002 or 2005 [rolls], your name alone is enough. If it cannot be traced, other details will have to be given.” If one shifted residence within the constituency, one could be traced. If one shifted residence outside the constituency, Form 8 had to be submitted, she said.
Asked about forms that might contain mistakes, Ms. Patnaik said the BLOs would verify the details during the field enquiry and pass them on to the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). The correct particulars would appear on the draft rolls.
The BLOs and volunteers were actively involved in the SIR, Ms. Patnaik said, appealing to members of the public to receive the enumeration forms, fill them up and return them. She said the names of all eligible electors would have to be part of the rolls and the SIR was a process to ensure it. “The BLO enquiry is the main, important part.”
Digitisation is the next step
The enumeration would be conducted till December 4 and the next step would be digitisation. “About 50% of the forms have come back, and the digitising process is ongoing,” she said. Five categories of electors would be displayed: cases of death; absentees; those who shifted residence permanently; duplicate forms; and those who did not receive the forms, Ms. Patnaik said.
A total of 83,256 election officials were involved in the process, including the BLOs and supervisors, besides 33,000 volunteers and 2.45 lakh booth-level agents, she said. A total of 327 BLOs had completed their task, she said.
“If you are eligible, your name should be there on the electoral rolls and the SIR is meant to make sure that it is,” she said.
Asked about some cases in which officials were attempting to take the extreme step reportedly owing to work pressure, Ms. Patnaik said, “They are provided training and support.”
Ms. Patnaik appealed for public cooperation for completing the exercise. She replied in the negative to a question whether the December 4 deadline would be extended.
To a question on claims of “political interference” in the SIR and BLOs not being allowed to work independently, Ms. Patnaik said, “Our BLOs are acting independently. If there are specific allegations, you can bring them to my notice.”
Replying to another question on the charge that one political party was receiving the enumeration forms, Ms. Patnaik said it was not true. About two lakh electors submitted their forms online, she said. The BLOs were aware of their duties and responsibilities and EROs were aware of their obligations, she said.
Asked how many people with their names on the Bihar rolls after the SIR there submitted forms in Tamil Nadu, Ms. Patnaik said, “People from not only Bihar but also any other State will have submit Form 8 and a declaration. Some 429 forms of this category have been received so far.” As for Chennai, about 96.27% of the electors were given the forms and about 50% have returned them. And 33.59% of the filled-up forms were digitised, she said.
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Published – November 24, 2025 08:15 pm IST
