Chennai, Dec 23: Chennai has recorded the highest number of voter deletions in Tamil Nadu following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with 14.36 lakh names omitted from the draft rolls published on December 19, according to official data.
Several Assembly constituencies in the state capital witnessed large-scale deletions ranging between 40% and 42%, raising concerns over the sharp contraction of the electorate in key urban pockets.
Anna Nagar emerged as the worst-hit constituency, where 1.18 lakh voters were deleted, bringing the voter strength down from 2.8 lakh to 1.18 lakh, a reduction of 42%. Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s Kolathur constituency in Chennai North also figured among the most affected, with 1.02 lakh voter names deleted, amounting to nearly 35% of its electorate.
In Chennai Central parliamentary segment, the draft rolls show 5.47 lakh deletions. Among its Assembly constituencies, Thousand Lights recorded a 41% drop, while Villivakam saw 42% of voters removed.
Chennai North registered 3.78 lakh deletions, with Perambur losing 95,679 voters and Dr Radhakrishnan Nagar witnessing 72,574 deletions. Royapuram reported the lowest reduction in the city at 25%.
In Chennai South, a total of 5.10 lakh voters were deleted. Velachery alone saw 1.26 lakh deletions, a 40% reduction, followed by Virugampakam with 1.12 lakh deletions. T Nagar recorded a 41% fall in voter numbers.
Chennai, which has 16 Assembly constituencies, has long been regarded as a stronghold of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in both Assembly and parliamentary elections. Stalin has represented Kolathur since its formation in 2011, while the DMK has consistently dominated Chennai Central in Lok Sabha polls since 1977.
“Chennai district saw the higher number of voter deletions across Tamil Nadu, with 14.36 lakh names left out of the draft electoral roll published on December 19,” the data showed.
