"Astonishing": P Chidambaram raises alarm over deletions in Tamil Nadu draft electoral roll, highlights 66,44,881 individuals who lack addresses

He acknowledged the removal of 26,32,672 deceased persons and 3,39,278 duplicate entries, but stressed the need to focus on those without addresses.

This comes after the Election Commission deleted over 66 lakh electors from its draft electoral rolls for allegedly being absent or having shifted from their place of residence.

In a post on X, the Congress leader said, "We can accept that the number of deceased persons removed from the voter list in Tamil Nadu is 26,32,672 and the number of individuals with duplicate entries is 3,39,278. The number of individuals without addresses 66,44,881 is what raises concerns."

Chidambaram urged leaders from all parties to address this issue to ensure no genuine voter is removed. He finds it alarming that so many people are or have been without addresses, emphasising the importance of protecting voting rights.

"Comrades from all political parties must pay attention to this figure. It is astonishing that so many people have been or are without addresses. Our aim is that no genuine person should be removed from the voter list," Chidambaram wrote on X.

According to the EC's recently released draft list, the Chennai district has the highest number of deletions, with 14,25,018 electors removed. The largest number of deletions has occurred due to electors having moved or been absent from their residences. According to published data, 12,49,691 electors were deleted for this reason.

The Election Commission of India on Friday released the draft electoral roll for Tamil Nadu, after collecting 5,43,76,755 enumeration forms of voters across the state. The Election Commission in Tamil Nadu has deleted 97,37,831 electors from the list due to their being deceased, shifted/absent from their residence, or enrolled at multiple places.

Out of the more than 97 lakh electors, 26,94,672 have been marked as deceased, 66,44,881 electors were marked as shifted or absent (from their addresses), and 3,98,278 electors were enrolled at multiple places, according to the SIR list published by the Election Commission.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomed the list, pointing to the "high number of deletions" in Kolathur, the Chief Minister's constituency, which she claimed "proves" how Chennai became a DMK stronghold.

"I welcome this list and appreciate the work of the Election Commission and the political parties... The highest number of votes has been removed from the Chief Minister's constituency, Kolathur. So now we understand why Chennai was a DMK stronghold. This indirectly reveals how Chennai became a DMK stronghold," BJP leader Tamilisai Soundararajan told ANI.

The final publication of the electoral roll is scheduled for February 2, 2026. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is scheduled just 5 months before the 2026 Assembly elections, which are expected in April-May 2026. Earlier, the ECI had extended the deadlines for the SIR of electoral rolls in five states, including Tamil Nadu. The state's enumeration period was extended to December 14. (ANI)