15 crore missing voters? The maths needs a source
Revanth Reddy’s reported comparison does not establish that voters were deleted. The Election Commission’s own 2024 figures tell a less convenient story for political arithmetic.
The source for the comparison remains unidentified.
A claim that 15 crore voters have “gone missing” rests on figures whose paperwork has not been produced.
Reports attributed the claim to Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who reportedly compared an estimated adult population of 103 crore with 88 crore voters on electoral rolls. The subtraction is easy. Establishing what the numbers measure is the part still awaiting delivery.
The Election Commission’s final 2024 roll recorded 96,78,58,816 electors, or about 96.79 crore. Its February 2024 press note rounded that to over 96.88 crore. The ECI’s 2024 election atlas recorded 97,97,51,847 electors for the general election. Its FAQ also makes clear that being aged 18 or above is not, by itself, registration: citizenship, ordinary residence, qualifying dates and other legal conditions apply.
The source and date of the 103-crore estimate, and the ECI document behind the 88-crore figure, have not been identified in the material reviewed. No source reviewed establishes that 15 crore people were removed from electoral rolls. The Election Commission has not published a document recognising that number as deleted electors.
The Congress government in Telangana may have a serious question about voter-roll revision. It still needs to show the arithmetic’s source. Until then, 15 crore is a political claim, not an electoral count.