1.85 lakh apply to enroll as fresh voters in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: A week after the draft electoral rolls were released, as many 1.85 lakh voters have applied for enrolling as fresh voters by filling the Form 6 even as political parties continue to file claims and objections with the Election Commission of India. 

To help people get required documents to enroll as voters, the Tamil Nadu government has directed officials concerned to issue nativity certificates manually from December 26 to January 25, 2026 and waive the Rs 60 levied for obtaining the same. Currently, the certificates are issued only online. 

Officials said the government has authorised zonal deputy tahsildars and taluk headquarters deputy tahsildars to issue the certificates after several complaints that people are struggling to enroll as voters with the ECI due to lack of documents. 

 “We have waived off the Rs 60 fee levied online. The officials concerned will now issue these certificates manually for a month after following the due process. This is to assist people get certificates on time. We wanted people to participate in the Special Intensive Revision without any hassles,” a government official said. 

Saturday also saw special camps being conducted to enroll fresh voters and file objections and claims across the state. The ECI said as many as 1,85,277 people have submitted Form 6 to register as new voters after the draft electoral rolls were released on December 19. 

 About 1,726 people have filled Form 7 for deletion of name from the electoral roll, while DMK has made 24 claims for inclusion of voters, the AIADMK has filed 22 claims for inclusion and 52 claims for exclusion, the ECI said. 

Names of a whooping 97.37 lakh voters have been dropped in the draft electoral rolls at the end of the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision in Tamil Nadu. Of this, 66.4 lakh Of this, as many as 66.4 lakh voters have shifted their residences, 26.9 lakh are dead and 3.98 lakh have enrolled at multiple places. 

The total number of voters as per draft rolls is 5,43,76,755 as against 6,41,14587 voters when the SIR began on November 4. Political parties have been asking its BLAs to scrutinize the draft rolls and take steps to include names of people who have been left out to ensure that they appear when the final draft rolls are released February 17, 2026.