A voter checks his name on the electoral roll after the Election Commission released the post-SIR electoral roll of West Bengal in Kolkata February 28 | Photo credit: PTI
Tamil Nadu concluded its one-day poll on April 23 with a record turnout of over 85%, beating the previous best of 78.29% in 2011 and a whopping 12% higher than the 73.63% turnout in the last Assembly elections. The basis for voter turnout was a reduced electorate of 5.67 million crowns. Taking into account the high-octane political competition and mobilization, the voter turnout rate would likely be lower if the “spiritual voters” – dead, shifted, absent and duplicate names – that existed since October 2025, when the Special Intensive Review (SIR) began, remained on the state electoral roll. Assam, Puducherry and Kerala also saw record turnout earlier this month, all following the pattern of reduced electorates. Therein lies the story.
Ahead of the 75th Foundation Day on January 25 last year, also called National Voter’s Day, the Election Commission (EC) had announced a grand celebration “in light of the fact that the total number of Indian voters is nearing the 100 million mark”. This was a well-made observation by the available arithmetic. The electoral database then amounted to 99.1 million, including 21.7 million young voters aged 18-29. The ever-increasing electoral sex ratio further jumped from 948 in 2024 to 954. With an estimated population of 1.4 billion, India entered the last Lok Sabha elections with 96.88 million registered voters. International observers have long watched India’s elephantine electorate in awe, with the United States in second place and countries like Brazil and Indonesia trailing far behind. With the SIR completing its second phase earlier this month, India’s large slate of voters seems poised to significantly reverse its progress, though it may still be celebrated for other reasons.
Published – 27 April 2026 08:30 IST
