Punjab Sees A Drop Of 13.60 Lakh Voters Following SIR

The final electoral roll for Punjab has been released following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) conducted ahead of the assembly elections. While the state had 21,461,043 registered voters as of June 9, the final list shows a count of 20,100,727. Consequently, there is a net reduction of 1,360,316 voters compared to the initial figures.

However, this does not imply that all these names were deleted following scrutiny. The revision process involved verifying voter details, cross-checking names, and resolving claims and objections. According to Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra, the draft electoral roll published on August 13 listed 19,394,435 voters; the final list shows an increase of 706,292 voters compared to that draft.

During the revision, 797,263 new voters were added. Meanwhile, out of 3,549,036 voters who were issued notices, 86,038 were declared ineligible following scrutiny and the issuance of reasoned orders. Therefore, it would be incorrect to view the discrepancy between the initial figures and the final list solely as the number of deleted names.

A Drop Of 13.60 Lakh From Previously Released Figures

On June 9, Punjab had 21,461,043 voters. By the time the draft list was released on August 13, this figure had dropped to 19,394,435. This means the draft list recorded 2,066,608 fewer voters compared to the initial data. Following the process of claims and objections and subsequent verification, the figure in the final list rose to 2,01,00,727. This represents a 3.64 percent increase compared to the draft list; however, the total count remains 13,60,316 lower than the figures recorded on June 9.

86,000 Voters Found Ineligible After Scrutiny

According to the Election Office, notices were issued to 3,549,036 voters during the notice phase. This group included voters whose details could not be matched with older records or whose information contained errors. After hearings and document verification, 86,038 voters were declared ineligible. The office clarified that this action was taken based on a comprehensive inquiry and reasoned orders.

Names Can Be Checked On The Website

The final electoral roll is available on the Chief Electoral Officer (Punjab) website: www.ceopunjab.gov.in. Voters can check their names on the list. Eligible individuals whose names are not included in the final list can apply for registration by filling out Form 6 either online or through their Booth Level Officer (BLO).

The final list comprises 10,376,026 male, 9,724,195 female, and 506 third-gender voters. To facilitate voters, the number of polling stations has also been increased from 24,453 to 25,332.