Chandigarh, July 16 -- Nearly one in eight registered voters in Chandigarh have not submitted their enumeration forms, handed out to them as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 exercise, putting them at risk for being left out of the draft electoral roll. Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, chief electoral officer Prerna Puri said over 5 lakh voters across the city were given the forms during the enumeration phase between June 15 and July 14 but only 4.5 lakh (87%) voters submitted the forms while 66,146 (12.8%) were unaccounted for, despite repeated field visits by booth-level officers. The administration has decided that these unverified names will not feature in the draft electoral roll to be published on July 21. Officials said field verification of the uncollected forms revealed that a majority - 43,724 voters - had permanently shifted, while 12,568 were found absent. The rest included 3,535 deceased voters, 2,590 duplicate entries, and 3,729 cases under "other reasons." The revision also attempted to anchor the current electoral database with historical records. Of the 4.5 lakh collected forms, 1.6 lakh voters self-mapped to the 2002 SIR roll, 2 lakh were mapped through parents (progeny mapping) and 69,451 submitted forms without any mapping details. This leaves nearly 70,000 voters entering the next phase under scrutiny, as their records lack linkage with legacy data. In a parallel administrative exercise, the number of polling stations has been reduced from 614 to 575 under a rationalisation drive aimed at improving efficiency though officials did not elaborate on its impact on accessibility. Authorities highlighted the participation of over 1,780 booth-level agents (BLAs) and a wide-ranging voter awareness campaign under SVEEP, involving media outreach, helpdesks, special camps, and over 1,000 volunteers. With the draft roll set for release on July 21, the process now enters a crucial "notice phase" (July 21-September 18). Around 69,451 voters without mapping details, along with others flagged for discrepancies, will receive notices for verification hearings before electoral officers. The administration stressed that no deletion will be final without due process, including an opportunity for hearing and a formal order. The claims & objections window (July 21-August 20) will allow excluded voters to apply for inclusion using Form-6, while corrections and address changes can be made via Form-8. Applications can be filed online through the ECINET platform or offline via BLOs. Young citizens attaining the age of 18 years on or before July 1, 2026, are also eligible to apply for enrolment by submitting Form-6 after publication of the draft electoral roll. Appealing to all eligible citizens, the chief electoral officer urged voters to verify their names in the draft electoral roll immediately after its publication on July 21 and, wherever required, submit the appropriate claims or objections within the prescribed period to ensure that every eligible citizen is included in the electoral roll....