Published Nov 12, 2026 | 2:20 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 12, 2026 | 2:22 PM
The ECI released the draft electoral rolls for several districts of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
Synopsis: District Collectors and District Election Officers released the draft electoral rolls in the presence of representatives of recognised political parties. The exercise covers adding new voters, deleting ineligible entries, and correcting existing voter details. The claims and objections period will remain open from 12 November to 11 December. The final electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on 4 January 2027.
The Election Commission of India, on Thursday, 12 November, released the draft electoral rolls for the 2027 Special Summary Revision (SSR) for several districts of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry, with 1 January 2027 set as the qualifying date.
District Collectors and District Election Officers released the draft electoral rolls in the presence of representatives of recognised political parties. The exercise covers adding new voters, deleting ineligible entries, and correcting existing voter details.
The claims and objections period will remain open from 12 November to 11 December. The final electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on 4 January 2027.
Eligible voters can apply for inclusion, deletion and corrections through Forms 6, 7 and 8, respectively. Applications can be submitted through the Election Commission’s official websites, including voters.eci.gov.in, and the Voter Helpline App.
Special camps will also be organised at polling stations on designated dates to facilitate application submission and address voter-related grievances.
The release of the draft electoral rolls in Tirunelveli district led to objections over the alleged deletion of voters from the Manjolai hill region.
Representatives of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) raised concerns before District Collector Anand Mohan, alleging that 634 voters from Manjolai had been removed from the electoral rolls without valid reasons.
They claimed that despite submitting repeated complaints and applications seeking the inclusion of voters, the names of several residents had not been restored to the draft electoral roll.
The representatives also alleged that some people who were still alive had been wrongly classified as deceased in the electoral records.
The issue led to a heated exchange between BSP and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) representatives during the meeting.
A BSP representative alleged that no political party other than the BSP had spoken up for the people of Manjolai. The remarks prompted objections from VCK representatives, leading to a heated argument inside the meeting hall.
The allegations come amid continuing concerns over the electoral status of residents in the Manjolai region.
Also Read: After protest, 215 Manjolai residents get voting rights restored, many still outside rolls
The release of the draft electoral rolls for Chennai district’s 16 Assembly constituencies triggered a heated exchange between political party representatives and election officials at Ripon Building, the Greater Chennai Corporation headquarters.
Commissioner GS Sameeran released the draft electoral rolls in the presence of representatives from the DMK, AIADMK, BJP, Congress, DMDK and Left parties.
The meeting became contentious even before the Commissioner could read out the details of the list.
BJP representative Karate Thiagarajan questioned whether the electoral roll being released was based on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) or the new draft electoral roll under the Special Summary Revision exercise. He demanded that the distinction be clarified.
Responding to the question, Sameeran said the meeting concerned the Special Summary Revision exercise. He also said the final electoral roll published after the SIR contained 28,30,936 voters.
DMK representative Chandru subsequently questioned why the district election authorities were not providing details of voters whose names had been removed from the electoral rolls.
Congress representative SK Nawaz accused the Election Commission of facilitating alleged vote theft and demanded Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Representatives of other parties also raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the SIR exercise. CPI representative Venkatesh Vempuli alleged that officials had not acted on complaints about the revision process.
He further accused election officials of implementing Gyanesh Kumar’s directions without adequately addressing the concerns of voters who had migrated or whose names had been omitted.
The repeated objections prompted police personnel deployed at Ripon Building to enter the meeting hall to maintain order.
Although Sameeran said he would respond to the questions after releasing the draft electoral rolls, the meeting ended amid continued protests and disagreements. DMK representatives staged a walkout, while representatives of other political parties also left the hall and addressed the media.
In Puducherry, District Election Officer and District Collector A Kulothungan released the draft electoral rolls for the 2027 revision exercise in the presence of representatives of recognised national and state political parties.
The Union Territory, including the regions of Mahe and Yanam, has a total of 7,99,494 voters in the draft electoral roll.
Claims and objections could be made between 12 November and 11 December.
Voters can verify their names and other details, including age, address and relationship particulars, through Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers and Electoral Registration Officers.
Special camps will be conducted on 21, 22, 28 and 29 November to facilitate applications for inclusion, deletion and correction of voter details.
Applications can also be submitted through the Election Commission’s official website, voters.eci.gov.in, and the ECINET application.
The final electoral roll for Puducherry is scheduled for publication on 4 January 2027.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
