Ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has implemented a comprehensive revision of the electoral roll. According to recent information shared in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court, the ECI has removed over 1.66 crore names from the electoral roll during its annual revision. Simultaneously, more than 2.68 crore new voters have been added, bringing the total number of eligible voters to nearly 97 crore.

The revision process, known as the special summary revision (SSR), was conducted nationwide, excluding six states: Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Mizoram, and Telangana. These figures were disclosed by the Election Commission in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Samvidhan Bachao Trust, which seeks effective measures to detect and remove duplicated names from the electoral roll.

The affidavit, filed on February 2, 2024, revealed that the SSR of the electoral roll, with January 1, 2024, as the qualifying date, is set to conclude on February 8, 2024. During this period, a substantial number of new electors—2,68,86,109—have been enrolled in the electoral roll, while 1,66,61,413 existing entries have been deleted due to reasons such as deaths, duplicates, and permanent relocations.

The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, has asked the Election Commission to provide a detailed breakdown, indicating the number of deceased voters, those who have permanently shifted, and deletions due to duplication. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on February 12.

The affidavit also disclosed that the total number of electors in the country's electoral roll is 96,82,54,560. Notably, over 1.83 crore individuals in the age group of 18-19 years are part of this electoral roll and are expected to cast their votes for the first time in the upcoming general elections.

The annual SSR is a routine process conducted once every year to publish the electoral roll as of January 1 of that year. The SSR 2024 has been ordered in all states, except Assam, due to ongoing delimitation exercises, and in five states—Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Telangana—where recent assembly elections have concluded.

Responding to concerns raised by the petitioner NGO regarding the lack of clarity on the number of deletions attributable to duplicate entries, the Election Commission explained that the revision process involves multiple stages. This includes a house-to-house survey, assisted by booth-level agents from recognized political parties. The data collected during this pre-revision exercise is then used to prepare a draft electoral roll, initiating the subsequent revision process.

As the SSR 2024 marks the final annual revision of the electoral roll before the impending Lok Sabha elections, the Election Commission emphasized that, during an election year, a second SSR is also conducted. This second revision aims to incorporate new voters qualifying on January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1 into the electoral roll.