Electoral Roll Revisions: Gender Trends in Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal

New Delhi, India Aug 23, 2026 ALN: By Dr Neeraj Kumar, Dr Maya K

The revision of electoral rolls ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal raised concerns among voters and political parties about the addition and deletion of names.

Figure 1: Male and female elector trends

Note: Data on male and female electors were obtained from the Election Commission of India.

Figure 1 shows that Bihar recorded a continued increase in both male and female electors across the three elections. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, however, recorded a decline in both groups in the latest election compared with the previous one. The fall was relatively small in Kerala but much higher in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

Table 1: Percentage change in male and female electors

Note: Data obtained from the Election Commission of India. Percentage change was calculated by comparing the number of male and female electors between two successive Assembly elections. Calculations are by the authors.

Table 1 confirms that the growth of the electorate slowed considerably in Bihar. Male voters increased by 8.4% and female by 11.46% between 2015 and 2020. Between 2020 and 2025, however, after SIR, the corresponding increases fell to 1.92% and 0.86%, respectively. Thus, women grew faster during the first period but much more slowly than men during the latter period.

In Kerala, male electors increased by 6.1% and female electors by 4.67% between 2016 and 2021. Between 2021 and 2026, male electors declined by 0.49%, while women declined by 1.69%. The decline among women was, therefore, more than three times that among men.

Tamil Nadu recorded growth of 8.07% among men and 9.74% among women between 2016 and 2021. This was followed by a decline of 9.35% among men and 8.25% among women. Although both groups declined sharply, the fall was greater among men.

In West Bengal, female electors increased faster than male electors between 2016 and 2021. However, between 2021 and 2026, the number of female electors declined by 7.28%, compared with a 6.5% decline among men.

Table 2: Changes across General, SC and ST constituencies

Note: Data obtained from the Election Commission of India. Constituency-wise percentage changes were calculated separately for General, SC and ST constituencies and for male and female electors. Calculations are by the authors.

The constituency-wise figures in Table 2 show that gender patterns were not uniform across categories. In Bihar, both male and female electors increased in General, SC, and ST constituencies during both periods.

Women recorded faster growth than men between 2015 and 2020. In the latest period, however, male electors grew faster in all three categories. The relative slowdown among women was particularly visible in General constituencies, where their number increased by only 0.71%, compared with a 1.81% increase in male voters.

In Kerala, both men and women declined in the General and SC constituencies between 2021 and 2026. But women’s data showed a greater decline in both categories. However, ST constituencies’ data showed the opposite pattern: male electors increased by 2.85%, while female electors increased by 4.58%.

In Tamil Nadu, both male and female electors declined in all three constituencies between 2021 and 2026. The decline was relatively higher in the general constituencies. Men declined more than women in General and SC constituencies, while the decline among women was marginally higher in ST constituencies.

In West Bengal, both groups declined across all three constituency categories between 2021 and 2026. In General constituencies, the declines among men and women were broadly similar. In SC and ST constituencies, however, the decline among women was considerably higher than the decline among men.

Table 3: Women electors changed per 1,000 men electors

Note: Data were obtained from the Election Commission of India. Net change was calculated as the number of electors in the latest election minus the number in the previous election. Women electors changed per 1,000 men electors was calculated using the absolute change in women divided by the absolute change in men, multiplied by 1,000. Calculations are by the authors.

Table 3 shows the net change in the gender composition in each constituency category. In Kerala’s General constituencies, the number of women electors changed significantly compared to men, indicating a need for further analysis and potential policy adjustments to address these disparities.

In conclusion, the electoral roll revisions have revealed significant trends in voter demographics across these four states, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and potential reforms to ensure equitable representation in the electoral process.