The Election Commission of India (ECI) has removed 6.5 crore names from draft electoral rolls in nine States and three Union Territories (UTs). This is part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. Before the latest revision phase, these regions had 50.9 crore electors. After publishing the draft rolls, the number dropped to 44.4 crore. ECI officials said the excluded names fall under the 'ASD' category, which stands for Absent, Shifted, and Dead or Duplicate voters. They explained that fewer enumeration forms were collected in urban areas compared to rural zones during this exercise. Specifically, in Uttar Pradesh, the draft list released on January 6 shows 12.55 crore voters retained, while 2.89 crore names were removed. This means 18.7% of the original 15.44 crore voters were left out due to death, moving away, or multiple registrations. Phase two of the SIR started on November 4, 2025. It covers Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Assam is conducting a separate special revision of its electoral rolls. The last SIR acts as the cut-off date for these updates, similarly to how Bihar's 2003 voter list was previously used. Most States last underwent SIR between 2002 and 2004. This revision gains importance amid ongoing crackdowns on illegal migrants in various regions, including migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar.