Gujarat Removes More Voters Than Bihar and Bengal: Over 73 Lakh Names Deleted in SIR Exercise, Surat Tops the List

After the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Gujarat, the Election Commission has released the draft voter list, revealing a sharp decline in the total number of registered voters in the state. In a development that has drawn nationwide attention, Gujarat has witnessed the deletion of more than 73 lakh voters, surpassing the number of names removed in Bihar and West Bengal, where the process had triggered major political controversy.

According to official data, the total number of voters in Gujarat has dropped from 5.08 crore to 4.34 crore, with 73.73 lakh names deleted during the SIR process. Notably, unlike Bihar and Bengal—where the revision sparked protests and political uproar—the exercise in Gujarat was completed largely peacefully.

The Election Commission has clarified that citizens can file claims and objections until January 18, 2026, if any eligible voter finds their name missing from the draft list.

Surat and Ahmedabad See Maximum Deletions

In Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s home state, the maximum voter deletions were recorded in major urban districts. Surat topped the list, followed by Ahmedabad, indicating that urban and industrial regions were most affected, while tribal and rural areas saw comparatively fewer deletions.

Top 5 Districts with Highest Voter Reduction:

• Surat: Voters reduced from 48.74 lakh to 36.23 lakh (74.33% retained)
• Ahmedabad: From 62.60 lakh to 48.07 lakh (76.79% retained)
• Vadodara: From 26.89 lakh to 21.85 lakh (81.26% retained)
• Bharuch: From 13.11 lakh to 10.95 lakh (83.52% retained)
• Valsad: From 13.86 lakh to 11.59 lakh (83.62% retained)

Why Were 73 Lakh Voters Removed?

Gujarat’s Chief Electoral Officer Harit Shukla (IAS) explained that before the draft list was published, the state had 5,08,43,436 registered voters, which has now reduced to 4,34,70,109. During the SIR campaign, names were deleted for the following reasons:

• 40.33 lakh voters had permanently shifted to other locations
• 18.05 lakh voters were deceased
• 9.8 lakh voters were not found at their registered addresses
• 3.79 lakh had duplicate voter IDs
• 1.95 lakh were removed due to other ineligibility reasons

The SIR process was conducted between November 4 and December 14, 2025.

Impact on Upcoming Civic Elections

The newly published voter list will form the basis for municipal corporation elections in major cities such as Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and Rajkot, expected to be held after March–April next year. All these urban bodies are currently governed by the BJP, making the revised voter list politically significant.

Election officials emphasized that the SIR exercise was aimed at ensuring a clean, accurate, and transparent electoral roll, free from duplicate, deceased, or ineligible voters. With the objection window now open, the final voter list will be published after necessary corrections.

The scale of voter deletion in Gujarat—higher than in politically turbulent Bihar and Bengal—has once again brought electoral roll revisions into the national spotlight, raising questions, debates, and close scrutiny ahead of upcoming elections.