The first phase of the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll in Punjab has been completed. During this process, Booth Level Officers distributed enumeration forms to voters across the state to verify and update the voter list before the publication of the draft electoral roll.
According to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anindita Mitra, BLOs distributed around 2.61 crore enumeration forms and out of these, nearly 2.41 crore forms were returned, taking the overall response rate to 90.37 percent and around 20 lakh forms were not returned during the first phase.
The Election Commission has also identified several categories of voters during the verification process and a total of 4,12,715 voters could not be traced, while around 5.74 lakh voters were found to be deceased. 1,19,145 duplicate voter entries were detected. Officials also said nearly 12 lakh voters could not be mapped to a specific polling station.
The draft electoral roll for Punjab will be published on August 13 and after its publication, citizens will get about one month to check the list and submit claims or objections if they find any mistake or if an eligible person's name is missing.
The Chief Electoral Officer said people who want to register as new voters can now submit Form 6 and added that copies of the draft electoral roll will also be provided to all recognised political parties by the CEO's office.
To help voters who cannot visit government offices, special camps will be organised at booth level on August 16. People will be able to submit forms, raise objections and seek corrections at these camps.
Anindita Mitra appealed to voters not to panic if their names are shown as "unmapped" and clarified that an unmapped voter does not lose the right to vote. Such voters only need to submit the required claim along with available documents so that their names can be correctly linked to their polling station and included in the final electoral roll.
Officials said around 12 lakh voters currently fall under the unmapped category and their names already exist in the voter list, but they have not yet been digitally linked to a specific polling station or family record. They have been asked to submit supporting documents so their voting records can be regularised.
The CEO also clarified that not having documents does not automatically mean a person's name will be removed and if documents are not submitted, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will issue a notice and conduct verification. If the person's identity and eligibility can be verified through other means, the name can still be included in the final electoral roll.
The Election Commission has also explained the next stages of the SIR process.
From August 4 to August 12, BLOs and EROs will examine the returned enumeration forms and verify the documents submitted by voters and during this period, officials will prepare the draft electoral roll after identifying deceased voters, shifted voters, duplicate entries and other cases requiring correction.
The draft electoral roll will then be officially published on August 13 and it will be available on the Election Commission's website as well as at the offices of BLOs and EROs. Voters will be able to check whether their own names and the names of their family members are included correctly.
After the draft list is published, a month-long period will be given for filing claims and objections. Eligible voters whose names are missing can apply for inclusion using Form 6 and objections against ineligible or deceased voters can be filed through Form 7. Corrections in personal details such as name, age, address or photograph can be made using Form 8. These applications can be submitted both online and offline.
During the claims and objections period, EROs will examine every application and if any documents are missing or there is any dispute regarding a voter, the concerned person will receive a notice asking them to appear before the ERO for verification and after completing the verification process, the officer will decide whether to add, delete or modify the voter's details.
The Election Commission has announced that the final electoral roll will be published on October 12, 2026. This final list will be used for all upcoming elections in Punjab. The Commission has also explained what will happen to voters who did not submit their enumeration forms during the first phase and based on the BLO's verification report, the ERO will issue official notices to such voters. They will have to submit a written reply either by visiting the ERO office or through the BLO within the given time.
These voters will also be required to submit valid documents for verification and officials said proof related to the 2003 SIR is considered the strongest supporting document, other accepted documents include a Voter ID card, Aadhaar card and valid proof of residence.
Once the documents are submitted, BLOs and EROs will verify the records and if everything is found correct, the voter's details will be digitally mapped to the concerned polling station and family record.
For people who have still not submitted their forms, the Election Commission has provided three options and they can visit their BLO or ERO office and submit Form 6, Form 7 or Form 8 along with identity and residence proof, hey can also apply online through the Election Commission's voter portal or use the Voter Helpline mobile application to upload documents and submit their applications electronically. After submission, applicants will receive a reference number that can be used to track the status of their request.
