4 min readChandigarhUpdated: Aug 6, 2026 02:18 PM IST
People submit their documents to the Booth Level Officer during a special camp organized as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll at Model Town in Patiala. (Source: Express Archives)
More than 2.09 lakh voters have been marked for deletion from Chandigarh’s electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with the draft figures showing that nearly one in every three registered electors faces proposed deletion.
According to the draft electoral roll prepared under the SIR, the city’s electorate has come down from 6,59,805 voters during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections to 4,50,282 after the proposed deletions.
The figures show that 2,09,523 names have been marked for deletion, while 66,145 electors continue to remain in the ASD (Absent, Shifted, Dead/Duplicate) list for further verification.
The overall proposed deletion rate stands at 31.76% of the 2024 electorate, while the average deletion percentage across Chandigarh’s 35 municipal wards is 33.72%.
Several wards have witnessed exceptionally high proposed deletions. Ward 6 recorded the highest deletion rate at 52.76%, followed by Ward 24 (46.08%), Ward 30 (45.48%), Ward 12 (42.93%), Ward 18 (42.89%), Ward 33 (42.78%) and Ward 2 (42.26%). Other wards with deletion rates exceeding 40% include Wards 8, 20 and 31.
In terms of the absolute number of voters proposed for deletion, Ward 6 topped the list with 9,250 names, followed by Ward 18 (8,522), Ward 10 (8,188), Ward 33 (8,095), Ward 29 (7,507) and Ward 34 (7,409).
At the other end of the spectrum, Ward 5 recorded the lowest proposed deletion rate at 15.38%, followed by Ward 15 (17.77%), Ward 28 (18.62%), Ward 19 (19.36%) and Ward 7 (19.90%).
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The draft figures have triggered political debate, with Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari sharing the ward-wise data on social media and questioning the scale of the proposed deletions.
“Close to 2 lakh voters have been deleted in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Chandigarh. In some wards, the deletions are as high as 46-52%. When I fought and won the Lok Sabha elections in June 2024, the total electorate was 6,59,805. Today, it stands at 4,50,282. The average deletion across the city’s 35 wards is 33.72%, while the overall deletion rate is 31.76% when compared with the electorate as on June 1, 2024. This is very worrying,” Tewari said.
Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, however, clarified that the draft roll should not be treated as the final electoral roll.
“The publication of the Draft Electoral Roll is only an intermediate stage of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and should not be construed as the final electoral roll. Prior to the SIR, Chandigarh had 5,16,427 electors. The draft roll published on July 21, 2026, contains 4,50,282 electors because it includes only those individuals who submitted their Enumeration Forms during the SIR exercise and whose eligibility could be verified at this stage. This has resulted in a temporary reduction of around 12.8% in the draft electoral roll. However, the revision process is still underway, and every eligible elector whose name is missing has the opportunity to apply for inclusion by submitting Form-6 along with the prescribed supporting documents during the claims and objections period. After due verification by the Electoral Registration Officer, all eligible applicants will be included in the final electoral roll,” Yadav said.
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He added that around 1.39 lakh notices had also been issued in cases requiring further verification.
“These notices are currently being taken up by the Assistant Electoral Registration Officers through public hearings. It would be incorrect to presume that all such cases will lead to deletion of names from the electoral roll. On the contrary, a substantial number of these cases are expected to culminate in the inclusion of eligible electors after verification,” Yadav said.
Election authorities are expected to complete the verification process before finalising the electoral rolls, giving eligible voters an opportunity to file objections or seek inclusion if their names have been wrongly proposed for deletion.
Hina Rohtaki is a Special Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in Chandigarh. She is one of the most prominent journalists covering the Chandigarh Administration, civic issues, and the unique political status of the Union Territory.
Professional Background
Experience: She has been in the field for over a decade and is known for her investigative reporting on administrative waste and urban governance.
Awards: She is a recipient of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award, which was presented to her by the President of India in January 2020. She was also awarded the Jethmalani prize (The Will of Steel Awards) in 2025 in the Empowerment category for a series of articles that highlighted the struggles of Covid widows.
Core Beat: Her primary focus is the Chandigarh administrative structure, the Union Territory's financial management, and urban development projects.
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent work highlights a focus on government accountability, administrative expenditures, and civic trends:
1. Investigative & Financial Reporting
"Fuelling power: Senior UT IAS officers guzzled petrol worth Rs 30 lakh in 2 yrs" (Dec 14, 2025): An investigative report detailing the high fuel bills of top bureaucrats, including the Finance Secretary and Chief Secretary’s staff.
"Admn spends Rs 1.5 crore on dismantling road railings and fixing again after increasing height" (Dec 8, 2025): Highlighting administrative waste on "non-viable" solutions for pedestrian control.
"Chandigarh’s finances under ministry’s watch now" (Nov 27, 2025): Reporting on the new requirement for MHA approval for all new projects in the UT.
2. Governance & Constitutional Status
"What will it mean for Chandigarh if it is brought under Article 240?" (Nov 24, 2025): An "Explained" piece on the potential constitutional shift that would grant the President more power over the UT's governance.
"MP Manish Tewari moves Bill seeking directly elected Mayor with 5-year tenure" (Dec 6, 2025): Covering the legislative push to reform Chandigarh's municipal leadership structure.
"No proposal to increase Mayor's term in Chandigarh by 5 years: Centre" (Dec 10, 2025): Reporting on the Union government's response to demands for a longer mayoral term.
3. Urban Infrastructure & Environment
"Chandigarh admn cuts power to India's tallest air purifier, asks firm to dismantle it" (Nov 17, 2025): A critical report on the failure of a high-cost environmental project deemed "of no use" by experts.
"UT rethinks 24/7 water supply project as costs soar" (Nov 26, 2025): Detailing the financial challenges and delays in modernizing the city's water network.
"Centre 'obfuscating, covering up' MC's shifting deadlines for clearing Dadu Majra dump" (Dec 12, 2025): Reporting on the ongoing controversy surrounding the city's major waste dump.
4. Lifestyle & Local Trends
"Chandigarh turns into a Thar city as women fuel the surge" (Dec 2, 2025): A feature on a unique automotive trend in the city, with a record 600 registrations by women drivers this year.
"After fivefold spike in 2023, EV sales struggle to pick pace in Chandigarh" (Dec 2, 2025): Analyzing the slowdown in electric vehicle adoption despite previous surges.
Signature Beat
Hina is known for her meticulous tracking of RTI (Right to Information) data to expose administrative inefficiency. Her "Ground Zero" reporting on the Dadu Majra garbage dump and her scrutiny of the Chandigarh Smart City projects have made her a key figure in the city’s civil society discourse.
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