MisleadingSaurav Daschecked 30 Sept 2026“pointing to reports of approximately 13 crore voters being deleted in the past 18 months through SIR”
approximately 13 crore voters
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What they said
approximately 13 crore voters
Saurav Das said approximately 13 crore voters were deleted in the past 18 months through the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
news9live.com, checked 30 Sept 2026
What is actually true
The Election Commission's final figures for Bihar's Special Intensive Revision, published on 30 September 2025, show 65 lakh electors removed from the draft list, with the final roll containing about 7.42 crore electors, down from 7.89 crore before the exercise. In July 2026 the Commission said the SIR is carried out in phases, with draft rolls followed by claims, objections and appeals before deletions are finalised, and that names are restored where grievances are found valid. The Supreme Court's 27 May 2026 judgment held that deletions under the SIR were not contrary to Rule 21A of the 1960 Rules.
- Media reports that cite Election Commission data describe the 13.3 crore figure as names missing from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and union territories, not as final deletions of voters. [2][7]
- In Bihar's completed SIR, official final figures show 65 lakh electors were removed from the draft list, and the final roll had about 7.42 crore electors, compared with 7.89 crore before the exercise. [8]
- The Election Commission's process includes a claims and objections period after the draft roll, appeals, and restoration of names where grievances are found valid; one report says 38 lakh appeals were pending, including 22.21 lakh filed by deleted voters seeking restoration. [10][1]
- The official PIB note and Supreme Court documents in the record do not provide a national total of 13 crore final voter deletions. [10][11]
[1] 14 times in 10 months, two Election Commissioners objected on record to poll panel steps — indianexpress.com[2] Voter List Deletions: Election Commission Data Shows 13.3 ... — deccanherald.com[7] SIR draft rolls see over 13 crore deletions so far, Delhi ... — indianexpress.com[8] Press Release Page | Press Information Bureau — pib.gov.in[10] Press Release Page | Press Information Bureau — pib.gov.in[11] 2026 INSC 564 Page 1 of 124 REPORTABLE IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA — eci.gov.in
The 13 crore number is drawn from draft-roll exclusions during an ongoing revision, not from a final count of voters who have lost their place on the rolls. The Election Commission's own published process shows that draft exclusions can be reversed through claims, objections and appeals before the final roll is published. Using the draft-roll figure as if it were a final deletion count therefore overstates what the record shows.