SIR 2026: 66,000 Chandigarh Voters Risk Deletion as Punjab, Haryana Extend Deadlines

SIR 2026: Chandigarh SIR enumeration is complete with 12.81% forms uncollected. Punjab and Haryana extend their revision deadlines. Full details on draft roll, claims process.

North Desk Correspondent

Chandigarh, July 16

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 exercise has produced starkly different outcomes across the Punjab – Haryana region this week. Chandigarh has wrapped up its enumeration phase with over 66,000 registered electors, roughly one in every eight, failing to submit their forms, even as neighbouring Punjab and Haryana have both extended their deadlines to give voters more time.

First let’s understand what SIR is.

SIR 2026: What is SIR, and why does it matter?

SIR 2026: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a nationwide, ground-up recheck of India’s electoral rolls ordered by the Election Commission of India, aimed at weeding out dead, duplicate, or shifted voters while adding new and left-out ones. Unlike routine annual updates, SIR involves Booth Level Officers physically visiting every household, handing out Enumeration Forms, and cross-verifying details against the last SIR roll — in most states, including Punjab and Haryana, that baseline is 2002.

The exercise has drawn political attention nationally after a similar SIR in Bihar earlier this year triggered disputes over mass deletions and documentation demands, with opposition parties alleging the process could disenfranchise genuine voters, particularly the poor, migrants, and the elderly, while the ECI has maintained it is necessary to clean up inflated and error-ridden rolls ahead of future elections. That backdrop is why the Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana numbers carry weight — this isn’t paperwork, it’s the list that decides who gets to vote.

Crucially, being among the “uncollected forms” doesn’t mean automatic disenfranchisement — the ECI’s process requires a notice, a hearing, and a reasoned order before any name is actually struck off. But it does mean the burden shifts onto the citizen to prove they still belong on the rolls, which is where past SIRs have run into friction.

READ ALSO: SIR Punjab Explainer: What Is the Special Intensive Revision of Voter Rolls

Chandigarh: Enumeration Closed, 12.81% Forms Uncollected

SIR 2026: Chief Electoral Officer, U.T. Chandigarh, Prerna Puri has confirmed that the enumeration phase, conducted from June 15 to July 14, has been completed. Out of 5,16,427 registered electors, Booth Level Officers distributed forms to all of them, but only 4,50,246 forms (87.19%) were collected and digitised. The remaining 66,146 forms (12.81%) stayed uncollected despite repeated BLO visits.

Field verification attributed the uncollected forms to:

• Permanently shifted — 43,724
• Absent — 12,568
• Other reasons — 3,729
• Dead — 3,535
• Duplicate entries — 2,590

Puri clarified these electors’ names will not appear in the Draft Electoral Roll due on July 21, though no deletion will happen without due process, a hearing, and a speaking order.

Chandigarh also rationalised its polling stations from 614 to 575, and linked 3,80,795 electors to the previous 2002 SIR roll through self- or progeny-mapping. Another 69,451 electors submitted forms without mapping details and will receive notices during the Notice Phase (July 21–September 18).

Citizens whose names are missing can file Form-6 during Claims & Objections (July 21–August 20), while those needing corrections or address changes can use Form-8. Documentary requirements scale by date of birth — those born after December 2, 2004 must produce papers for themselves and both parents.

Haryana: Enumeration Extended to July 24

Haryana’s SIR enumeration phase, originally due to close, has now been extended to July 24, 2026, the Chief Electoral Officer’s office announced, urging voters who haven’t yet submitted their Enumeration Forms that “this is your last opportunity.” Forms can be submitted to the local BLO or filled online via the ECINET App.

Punjab: Timeline Pushed by Nearly Three Weeks

Punjab has gone further, with the Election Commission of India amending the state’s SIR schedule. Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra said house-to-house enumeration and polling station rationalisation will now continue until August 3, 2026. The revised calendar:

• Draft electoral rolls: August 13, 2026
• Claims & objections: August 13–September 12
• Disposal of claims & objections: August 13–October 8
• Final electoral rolls: October 12, 2026

Mitra urged all eligible citizens to participate to ensure accurate, updated rolls.

The Bigger Picture

The divergence is notable: Chandigarh’s compact electorate allowed it to finish on schedule, while Punjab and Haryana’s larger, more dispersed voter bases needed more runway. For Chandigarh residents, the message going forward shifts from enumeration to vigilance — checking the draft roll on July 21 and acting fast if their name is missing.

READ ALSO: Fake Gas Company Call Drains Chandigarh Couple’s ₹7.5 Lakh Savings

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