SC constituencies in Tamil Nadu see lower reduction in electorate size due to Special Intensive Revision

The 44 Assembly constituencies, reserved for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), have seen a lesser fall in the size of the electorate than the overall reduction in the entire Tamil Nadu after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

On an average, the names of around 32,080 voters have been deleted from the rolls of every SC constituency, while the State’s average is approximately 41,615 per constituency, according to the data gathered from the draft electoral rolls.

In all, 14,11,461 names have been removed from the rolls of the SC constituencies, accounting for around 15% of the names deleted all over the State. As of October 27 (when the SIR started), the electorate in the 44 constituencies was nearly 1.12 crore. Now, it stands at about 97.64 lakh. Egmore in Chennai tops the list of constituencies in terms of absolute figures and the rate of fall (in percentage). As many as 74,858 names have been removed or around 38% of the electors before the SIR. Thiru.Vi.Ka Nagar (also in Chennai), Gudiyatham, Avinashi, Sriperumpudur, and Dharapuram fall in the category of constituencies where over 50,000 names were dropped off the rolls.

Poonamallee, Arakkonam, Nilakottai, and Vandavasi are the four constituencies where 40,000-odd names have been deleted. In nine constituencies, including Bhavanisagar and Paramakudi, 30,000-odd names have been deleted. Of these 19 constituencies, nine are in the northern districts.

The strength of Yercaud and Senthamangalam, which are earmarked for the Scheduled Tribes (STs), has gone down by around 52,000 voters. At present, the two seats have about 4.85 lakh electors.

The share of SC constituencies in the overall size of the electorate, before the SIR, was 17,43%. After the exercise, it has risen marginally to 17.96%. After adding the component of the ST seats, it stands at 18.85%.