The electoral landscape of Madhya Pradesh has undergone a massive transformation with the publication of the Draft Electoral Rolls on Tuesday. Election officials confirmed a sweeping clean-up operation that led to the removal of a staggering 42.74 lakh electors, representing 7.44% of the state's total electorate.
The Scale of the Revision
Prior to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, Madhya Pradesh had 5,74,06,143 registered voters. Following an exhaustive door-to-door verification and scrutiny process, the draft rolls now list 5,31,31,983 names. This reflects the deletion of 42,74,160 voters. The reasons for removal are stark: 8.46 lakh voters were found to be deceased, 31.51 lakh had permanently shifted from their registered addresses, and 2.77 lakh were duplicate entries.
This monumental exercise, one of the most extensive in the state's recent history, spanned 44 days. It commenced on November 4 and concluded on December 18 after an extension granted by the Election Commission of India (ECI). The operation mobilized a small army of over 65,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) who conducted house-to-house verification across every city, town, and village in the state.
Unmapped Voters and Public Participation
Officials were quick to underline that the process remains provisional. Alongside the deletions, the SIR identified a significant cohort of around 8.40 lakh "unmapped" voters. These are individuals whose details could not be matched with records from the previous Special Intensive Revision conducted back in 2003. While their names currently remain on the draft rolls, they will be issued notices by BLOs.
"The unmapped voters will have to produce the required documents within seven days of receiving the notice from the BLO," stated joint chief electoral officer Ram Pratap Singh Jadaun. Failure to respond could result in their names being struck off when the final rolls are published.
The enumeration phase witnessed overwhelming public participation. Enumeration forms were received from 5.31 crore electors, accounting for more than 92% of the electorate. The exercise was carried out across all 55 districts, involving 230 Electoral Registration Officers, 532 Assistant EROs, and BLOs deployed at 65,014 polling booths. They were aided by volunteers and political party representatives.
Mechanisms and Safeguards
All six recognised national parties participated through 1,35,882 Booth Level Agents. BLOs made multiple house visits, conducted booth-level meetings with agents, and were supported by panchayat secretaries, revenue staff, and Gram Rojgar Sahayaks. Special urban camps, social media outreach, radio announcements, and other awareness measures significantly boosted participation.
Election officials reiterated that no deletion is final at this stage. Under SIR guidelines, no name can be removed from the draft rolls without prior notice and a speaking order by the ERO or AERO. A crucial claims and objections period will remain open from December 23, 2025, to January 22, 2026. During this window, voters can seek inclusion, correction, or restoration of their names.
Aggrieved electors also retain the right to appeal to the district magistrate and thereafter to the Chief Electoral Officer under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. To ensure transparency, printed and digital copies of the draft rolls, along with booth-wise lists of voters marked as dead, shifted, absent, or duplicate, have been shared with recognised political parties and made available to the public through the CEO's website and local body notice boards.
Objective and Implications
Officials stated that the primary objective of this mammoth exercise was to produce clean, accurate, and up-to-date electoral rolls. The sheer scale of the deletions underscores the significant demographic churn and migration the state has witnessed over the past two decades. This revision sets the stage for more precise and accountable electoral processes in Madhya Pradesh's future democratic exercises.
