Tamil Nadu draft electoral rolls released on 12 November 2026; claims and objections open until 11 December
The Election Commission of India released draft electoral rolls for several districts of Tamil Nadu and for the Union Territory of Puducherry on Thursday, 12 November, as part of the 2027 Special Summary Revision, according to The South First. Deccan Herald, citing a PTI report, put the state's total electorate at 5.77 crore, saying women outnumber men by about 13 lakh. Voters have until 11 December 2026 to check their names and details and to file claims or objections, ETV Bharat reported.
Draft Roll Figures Reported
Tamil Nadu Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik released the draft rolls, according to ETV Bharat. The Corporation Commissioner released the Chennai list, and District Collectors published the rolls in the remaining districts, the outlet added. Before the Special Intensive Revision, ETV Bharat said, the state had 6.41 crore voters. The outlet reported that the electorate numbered 5,73,43,291 as of April 2026, after the revision. The revised roll, it said, has 7,728 third-gender voters, 2,93,04,905 women and 2,80,30,658 men. ETV Bharat added that eligible new voters are still being added to the roll. Deccan Herald's report put female voters at 2.95 crore, male voters at 2.82 crore and third gender electors at 7,892. Sholinganallur constituency in Chengalpattu district has the highest electorate in the state at 5.58 lakh electors, while Harbour constituency in Chennai district has the lowest at 1.20 lakh, the report said.
Disputes At The Release Meetings
The release in Tirunelveli district prompted objections over alleged removals of voters from the Manjolai hill region, The South First reported. Bahujan Samaj Party representatives raised the matter with District Collector Anand Mohan, alleging that 634 voters from Manjolai were dropped from the rolls without valid reasons. They also alleged that some living residents had been wrongly classified as deceased in the electoral records. In Chennai, Commissioner GS Sameeran released the rolls for the district's 16 Assembly constituencies, with representatives of the DMK, AIADMK, BJP, Congress, DMDK and Left parties present. BJP representative Karate Thiagarajan asked whether the roll being released rested on the Special Intensive Revision or on the new Special Summary Revision draft, and asked officials to clarify. Sameeran replied that the meeting concerned the Special Summary Revision exercise. Sameeran also put the number of voters in the final roll published after the SIR at 28,30,936. DMK representative Chandru wanted to know why officials in the district were not sharing details of the voters who had been removed from the rolls. Congress representative SK Nawaz demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and accused the Election Commission of facilitating alleged vote theft. Police personnel stationed at Ripon Building entered the meeting hall to maintain order after the repeated objections, The South First reported. The DMK representatives walked out of the meeting, and delegates from other parties also left the hall and spoke to the media.
How Voters Can Apply Or Correct
The South First said eligible voters use Form 6 to seek inclusion, Form 7 for deletion and Form 8 for corrections. Booth Level Officers, Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers accept the forms on working days, according to ETV Bharat. ETV Bharat added that applications can also be filed online through the ECI Voters' Services Portal or the ECINET mobile app. ETV Bharat said new applicants must furnish the prescribed documents as proof of age and residence. Utility bills for water, electricity or gas that show at least one year of service count as proof of residence, the outlet said. For proof of age, a birth certificate from the local body, municipal authority or the Registrar of Births and Deaths is accepted. People who will turn 18 on or before 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October 2027 can apply for inclusion using Form 6, according to ETV Bharat. Indian citizens living abroad can apply with Form 6A, either in person or by post to the Electoral Registration Officer, ETV Bharat said. Deccan Herald reported that the draft rolls are open for public inspection at designated locations, mainly school buildings housing polling stations, and on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer. The same report said District Election Officers will give recognised political parties a printed copy and a soft copy of the rolls.
Puducherry And The Road Ahead
The South First reported that Puducherry, including the regions of Mahe and Yanam, has 7,99,494 voters in its draft roll. Special camps will be held on 21, 22 and 29 November at designated locations in Tamil Nadu, according to a release cited by Deccan Herald. Puducherry will hold its special camps on 21, 22, 28 and 29 November for applications to add, delete or correct voter details. ETV Bharat reported that the Election Commission directed the revision to run from 15 October 2026 to 4 January 2027, with 1 January 2027 as the qualifying date. The final electoral rolls for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are due to be published on 4 January 2027, The South First reported.