Maharashtra SIR: Only 17% of over 2 crore deletions due to deaths, finds study
Mumbai: The special intensive revision (SIR) of poll rolls has led to the deletion of nearly one in three electors in MMR, according to a preliminary independent study by Sabar Institute , a public policy research organisation.
Thane recorded 28.6 lakh deletions, accounting for 38.4% of its pre-SIR electorate of 74.5 lakh. Mumbai city followed with 9.5 lakh deletions, 37.2% of 25.6 lakh voters. Mumbai suburban recorded 26.6 lakh deletions, 33.9% of its 78.3 lakh electorate.
The study found that Mumbai’s 36 assembly constituencies accounted for 17% of Maharashtra ’s total deletions despite having only 11% of its pre-revision electorate. The deletion rate in these constituencies was 34.7%, against 19.5% in the rest of the state.
Across the state, 2.07 crore names were struck off. Only 16.8% of these were attributed to deaths, and 83% categorised as permanently shifted, untraceable or absent, or already enrolled elsewhere, the report said.
Thane topped the state in non-death deletions at 35.4%, followed by Mumbai city at 31.6% and Mumbai suburban at 29.7%. Pune, Nagpur and Palghar recorded 28.1%, 25.9% and 25.1%, respectively.
Non-death deletions exceeded the 2024 assembly election victory margin in 190 of Maharashtra’s 288 constituencies. In 95 constituencies, the untraceable/absent category alone exceeded the winning margin.
The report suggested that urbanisation is a stronger indicator of deletion patterns than caste or religious compositions of districts.
Colaba recorded nearly 1.2 lakh deletions—46.9% of its pre-revision electorate—making it the second highest proportion among the 288 constituencies. It is the only constituency in the state where deletions exceeded votes cast (1,18,499) in the 2024 assembly polls, found the study.
Constituencies with lower turnout in the 2024 assembly election recorded higher non-death deletions, suggesting a relationship between lower electoral participation and older or less frequently updated voter rolls.
The report found that women and men were removed at almost identical overall rates—21.4% and 21.2%, respectively. However, among voters aged 18-29 marked as permanently shifted outside Mumbai, 8.2 lakh were women compared with 3.8 lakh men. Researchers said this pattern was consistent with women moving into marital homes. In Mumbai, though, the pattern reversed, with 85,167 young men and 76,848 young women recorded among the deletions, which the study said was consistent with male-dominated labour migration.
Third gender electors were disproportionately affected. As many as 3,250 (53.3%) of the 6,101 of them on the 2024 rolls were deleted—about two-and-a-half times the statewide average.
The study found that electors with Islamic names constituted 14.6% of all deletions, compared with an estimated 12.1% share based on the Census 2011. After controlling for age and constituency, their odds of being classified as already enrolled elsewhere, rather than dead, were over two-fold those of other electors. The researchers said religion was estimated through a name-based statistical classifier and was not an attribute recorded by ECI. The report cautioned that these findings do not establish deliberate targeting or discrimination.
Thane recorded 28.6 lakh deletions, accounting for 38.4% of its pre-SIR electorate of 74.5 lakh. Mumbai city followed with 9.5 lakh deletions, 37.2% of 25.6 lakh voters. Mumbai suburban recorded 26.6 lakh deletions, 33.9% of its 78.3 lakh electorate.
The study found that Mumbai’s 36 assembly constituencies accounted for 17% of Maharashtra ’s total deletions despite having only 11% of its pre-revision electorate. The deletion rate in these constituencies was 34.7%, against 19.5% in the rest of the state.
Across the state, 2.07 crore names were struck off. Only 16.8% of these were attributed to deaths, and 83% categorised as permanently shifted, untraceable or absent, or already enrolled elsewhere, the report said.
Thane topped the state in non-death deletions at 35.4%, followed by Mumbai city at 31.6% and Mumbai suburban at 29.7%. Pune, Nagpur and Palghar recorded 28.1%, 25.9% and 25.1%, respectively.
Non-death deletions exceeded the 2024 assembly election victory margin in 190 of Maharashtra’s 288 constituencies. In 95 constituencies, the untraceable/absent category alone exceeded the winning margin.
The report suggested that urbanisation is a stronger indicator of deletion patterns than caste or religious compositions of districts.
Colaba recorded nearly 1.2 lakh deletions—46.9% of its pre-revision electorate—making it the second highest proportion among the 288 constituencies. It is the only constituency in the state where deletions exceeded votes cast (1,18,499) in the 2024 assembly polls, found the study.
Constituencies with lower turnout in the 2024 assembly election recorded higher non-death deletions, suggesting a relationship between lower electoral participation and older or less frequently updated voter rolls.
The report found that women and men were removed at almost identical overall rates—21.4% and 21.2%, respectively. However, among voters aged 18-29 marked as permanently shifted outside Mumbai, 8.2 lakh were women compared with 3.8 lakh men. Researchers said this pattern was consistent with women moving into marital homes. In Mumbai, though, the pattern reversed, with 85,167 young men and 76,848 young women recorded among the deletions, which the study said was consistent with male-dominated labour migration.
Third gender electors were disproportionately affected. As many as 3,250 (53.3%) of the 6,101 of them on the 2024 rolls were deleted—about two-and-a-half times the statewide average.
The study found that electors with Islamic names constituted 14.6% of all deletions, compared with an estimated 12.1% share based on the Census 2011. After controlling for age and constituency, their odds of being classified as already enrolled elsewhere, rather than dead, were over two-fold those of other electors. The researchers said religion was estimated through a name-based statistical classifier and was not an attribute recorded by ECI. The report cautioned that these findings do not establish deliberate targeting or discrimination.
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