Chandigarh: With the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) scheduled to begin this April, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has formally issued instructions to the Chandigarh administration, placing the city among nearly two dozen states and Union Territories where the revision exercise will take place.Following the communication from ECI last week, the UT election department has entered the final phase of its pre-SIR groundwork across the city. Officials said most of the house-to-house mapping work has already been completed through an extensive and aggressive field exercise to ensure readiness before the SIR commences.In its letter issued to chief electoral officers (CEOs) of Chandigarh and other states and UTs, the ECI, under the subject, “Preparatory exercise for Special Intensive Revision—regarding,” stated: “The Commission ordered Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll to be undertaken in all the states and UTs. In continuation to this, the Commission directed all the CEOs (except Bihar) to initiate pre-revision activities for the SIR exercise. Further, the Commission announced the SIR exercise in 12 states/UTs, which is underway. Since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the above states/UTs is expected to start from April 2026, you are requested to complete preparatory work related to SIR, at the earliest.”The Chandigarh administration has 12 assistant election returning officers (AEROs), under whom around 700 block level officers (BLOs) are deployed across the city. As part of the pre-SIR verification process, BLOs have been carrying out door-to-door visits to check election-related details of voters and verify their presence at the registered address.A senior Chandigarh administration officer told TOI that the department has already mapped more than 66% of voters. As per records up to Feb 20, 2026, Chandigarh had 5,47,412 voters, of whom 3,62,903 had been mapped through field verification. Officials said that with over 66% mapping achieved, most of the pre-SIR work is complete. Once the SIR begins, absent-found voters will be issued notices and given sufficient time to confirm their presence. Those who fail to respond or cannot justify their absence may face necessary corrections as per established norms, while those providing valid reasons will be retained on the rolls accordingly.The officer added that during the SIR, missing voters will be given full opportunity to explain their absence, and necessary action will follow based on the verification outcome and laid-down procedures.Box: Laying the groundwork —Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to begin in Chandigarh in April 2026, following formal approval from the Election Commission of India —Chandigarh election department in the final phase of pre-SIR groundwork after completing most of the house-to-house mapping exercise —ECI letter asked all CEOs (except Bihar) to complete pre-revision activities at the earliest —700 BLOs working under 12 AEROs carried out door-to-door verification across the city —Over 66% of voters already mapped during field visits before SIR launch —Absent voters will receive notices during the SIR to confirm presence and give reasons for non-availability —Voters who provide valid reasons for absence will be retained on rolls as per norms Vital Statistics 1: Total electors till Feb 20, 2026—————–5,47,4122: Total mapped electors————————————3,62,9033: Progeny voters———————————————1,801484: Total percentage of mapped electors———————–66.29%5: SIR to begin from April 2026 in Chandigarh MSID:: 128681676 413 |
