Poll Body Denies Chidambaram’s BIG Voter List Claims, Says 'False Data Floating'

Photo Credit: IANS

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram’s attempt to link the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Bihar with Tamil Nadu has been called “absurd” by the Election Commission of India (EC), which today fact-checked his claims about potential mass deletions from the voter list.

Earlier, Chidambaram posted on X that while 65 lakh voters in Bihar risk losing their voting rights, reports of adding 6.5 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu were “alarming and patently illegal.”

The EC rejected these allegations as "misleading," clarifying that the SIR has not yet been implemented in Tamil Nadu and accused the leader of spreading “false figures” regarding the addition of 6.5 lakh voters there.

“It is therefore absurd to connect the SIR exercise in Bihar with Tamil Nadu. Such false statements about SIR should be avoided,” the commission stated.

The statements made are Misleading and Baseless#ECIFactCheck

Read in detail in the image attached https://t.co/gRVakP610s pic.twitter.com/gKU9a1gB0t

— Election Commission of India (@ECISVEEP) August 3, 2025

Chidambaram had questioned the EC’s reasoning behind classifying several lakh voters in Bihar as “permanently migrated,” which led to their removal from the electoral rolls. He called this designation an insult to migrant workers and said it interfered with the electoral rights of Tamil Nadu voters.

The Election Commission explained that under Article 19(1)(e) of the Constitution, all citizens have the right to reside and settle anywhere in India. It is the responsibility of voters to enroll themselves in the constituency where they currently reside and are eligible.

For example, a person originally from Tamil Nadu but ordinarily residing in Delhi can be registered as a voter in Delhi. Similarly, someone originally from Bihar but living in Chennai can register there.

Chidambaram’s post followed the EC’s announcement that over 65 lakh enumeration forms were excluded from Bihar’s draft electoral rolls ahead of the upcoming assembly polls. This revision reduced the number of registered voters from approximately 7.9 crore to 7.24 crore.

According to the EC, 22,34,501 registered voters were found to be deceased, around 36.28 lakh had permanently moved out of Bihar or were not found at their listed addresses, and 7.01 lakh were registered at multiple locations.

The Congress leader’s criticism came even as the EC reported that no political party filed any claims or objections regarding the draft electoral rolls published in Bihar on August 1.

The draft publication has sparked controversy, with opposition parties like the RJD questioning the accuracy and transparency of the EC’s data, particularly concerning the number of deceased voters.

During the first phase of the SIR, voters received enumeration forms either from Booth Level Officers (BLOs) or Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by political parties. Voters were to return these forms with their signatures and valid identification documents.

Voters who believe their names were wrongly deleted can appeal to the relevant authorities by September 1 to seek rectification.