2 hrs ago
Permanently Shifted Voters Form Largest Group in Draft Roll Flags
The Election Commission is checking voter lists across India.
In the draft results from three phases, 13.39 crore entries were flagged for review.
The biggest group was people recorded as having permanently moved.
Other entries were marked as untraceable, deceased, duplicates or other cases.
The Commission says these are not final deletions.
People can ask for names to be added or corrected through a claims-and-objections process.
Opposition parties worry that eligible people may lose the chance to vote.
The Commission says it is also helping people enrol and checking that eligible voters are included.
Across three phases, 13.39 crore electoral-roll entries were flagged in draft-stage data covering 95.40 crore electors.
The largest category is 6.30 crore entries marked permanently shifted, followed by 3.01 crore absent or untraceable entries.
The data also records 2.80 crore deceased entries, 1.02 crore duplicates and 26 lakh in an “others” category.
The Election Commission says the figures are not final and that claims and objections can help prevent wrongful exclusion.
Opposition parties allege the exercise could exclude eligible voters, while the Commission says it is cleaning rolls and continuing enrolment.
- Who
- The Election Commission of India, voters and Opposition parties.
- What
- Draft-stage Special Intensive Revision data flagged 13.39 crore electoral-roll entries across three phases.
- Where
- Bihar and 31 other states and Union Territories in India.
- When
- The exercise began in Bihar in June 2025; the reported figures cover three phases, with Phase III under way.
- Why
- The Commission says it is identifying entries for people who are untraceable, have moved, are deceased or appear more than once, while aiming to include every eligible voter.
Opposition parties
Election Commission
Risk of wrongful exclusion
Opposition parties
Opposition parties say the exercise risks disenfranchising genuine voters and have questioned how names are flagged and the basis for classification.
Election Commission
The Commission says the figures are draft-stage only and that claims and objections provide safeguards against wrongful exclusion.
Purpose of the revision
Opposition parties
Opposition parties have demanded that the exercise be stopped and called for greater transparency in verification and deletion.
Election Commission
The Commission says the revision is intended to identify untraceable, shifted, deceased and duplicate entries while ensuring eligible voters remain included.
Impact on vulnerable groups
Opposition parties
Opposition leaders warn that proving eligibility could disproportionately burden migrants, poor people and other vulnerable groups.
Election Commission
The Commission says it is conducting house-to-house verification, special drives and outreach through help desks and camps for vulnerable groups.
Key facts
- Flagged entries
- 13.39 crore across all three phases
- Electors covered
- 95.40 crore across Bihar and 31 states and Union Territories
- Permanently shifted
- 6.30 crore entries
- Absent or untraceable
- 3.01 crore entries
- Deceased
- 2.80 crore entries
- Duplicates and others
- 1.02 crore duplicate entries and 26 lakh in the “others” category
- Phase III coverage
- 36.51 crore electors in 19 states and Union Territories
- Phase III flagged categories
- 1.52 crore absent or untraceable, 2.89 crore permanently shifted, 1.11 crore deceased and 51 lakh duplicate entries
Sources
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