Puducherry sees 7.8% drop, Lakshadweep posts slight dip in voter count

New Delhi: The first set of final electoral rolls under Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Phase 2 was published on Saturday for the poll-bound Union Territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep.

Puducherry's final roll shows a 7.8% decline, with around 77,000 electors dropped from the draft strength of 10.21 lakh, bringing the total down to 9.44 lakh. According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), over one lakh "ineligible electors" were removed from the draft roll, while more than 42,000 names were added during the claims and objections period.

The final roll of 9,44,211 includes 23,033 first-time voters in the 18-19 age group, 6,034 electors aged 85 and above, and over 23,000 persons with disabilities.


In Lakshadweep, the final roll stands at 57,607 electors (29,222 male and 28,385 female), including 1,268 voters in the 18-19 age group. The UT recorded 56,384 electors in its draft roll, reflecting just over 2% exclusions from the pre-SIR rolls. The pre-SIR roll had 58,000 electors.

The next set of final rolls will be released on February 17 for Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. This will be followed by Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala, Chhattisgarh and Goa on February 21; Madhya Pradesh on February 23; and election-bound West Bengal on February 28. Uttar Pradesh will publish its final roll on April 10.