New Delhi, February 21 The voter base in nine states and Union territories has decreased by more than 1.70 crore following the publication of the final electoral rolls as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to official data released on Saturday.
Data shared by the chief electoral officers of Gujarat, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, and Kerala showed that their combined voter base stood at over 21.45 crore before the SIR exercise began on October 27 last year.
It has decreased to 19.75 crore after the publication of their final electoral rolls this week – a net change of over 1.70 crore electors.
While the exercise, which kept the Election Commission in the spotlight, has been completed in Bihar, it is currently underway in 12 states and Union territories covering nearly 60 crore electors.
The remaining 40 crore electors will be covered in 17 states and five Union territories.
In Assam, a "special revision" instead of SIR, was completed on February 10.
Due to various reasons, the SIR in the nine states and three Union territories has seen frequent changes in the schedule. As in Bihar, political parties have approached the Supreme Court challenging the exercise in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
