Chandigarh, Sept. 23 -- As the UT administration on Tuesday released the final electoral roll, the electorate increased by a mere 9,927 voters, 2% more than the draft electoral roll. The final electoral roll has 4.6 lakh voters - 2.3 lakh males, 2.2 lakh females and 22 third-gender electors. In accordance with the instructions of the Election Commission of India, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, 2026, was undertaken in the city from June 5. District election officer Nishant Kumar Yadav said that even ward wise, there had been an overall increase and the deletions were also not done in one particular ward or area, but uniformly. Prerna Puri, the chief electoral officer, UT, said the final photo electoral rolls are available for verification at the offices of the electoral registration officers (EROs), assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) and with the booth-level officers (BLOs). The final electoral roll is also available for download on the official website of the chief electoral officer: https://ceochandigarh.gov.in. The total number of electors as on July 15, 2026, prior to the commencement of the enumeration phase, was over 5 lakh. Enumeration forms were generated and printed for all 5 lakh electors and distributed through the BLOs. Out of these, 4.5 lakh enumeration forms were received back from the electors, while 66,145 electors' forms were not received back were excluded from the draft electoral roll. The list of those electors' enumeration forms which were not received back was published, indicating the probable causes as absent, shifted, death, duplicate and others. The breakup comprised 12,567 absent, 43,725 shifted, 3,535 dead, 2,590 duplicate and 3,728 as others. The draft electoral roll was published on July 21 with a total of 4.5 lakh electors. Out of the total electors in the draft roll, 3.8 lakh electors were mapped as self or progeny, while 69,461 electors remained unmapped. The mapping included 1 lakh self-mapped and 2 lakh progeny-mapped electors. During the notice phase from July 21 to September 18, notices were served to 1.3 lakh electors, including 69,500 unmapped electors and 68,700 electors having logical discrepancies. Decisions in respect of the unmapped electors and logical discrepancies were taken by the concerned EROs/AEROs after conducting hearings and verifying the documents submitted by the electors and undertakings submitted by the BLOs. Out of the 4,50,282 electors in the draft electoral roll, documents of 4,644 electors were found inadmissible/unsatisfactory, or absent or found dead, shifted or repeated during the hearing process, and were marked as ineligible by passing speaking orders. A total of 17,891 claims and objections filed during the claims and objections period from July 21 to August 20 were processed for preparation of the final electoral roll. All forms received prior to July 21 were also processed for final publication.The final electoral roll of the special summary revision relating to service voters, with reference to July 1, 2026, as the qualifying date, was also published on Tuesday. The total number of service electors enrolled in the final is 709. The final copies along with a soft copy of the final photo electoral rolls without photographs, have been handed over to the representatives of recognised political parties. Applications for inclusion of name through Form-6, correction or shifting through Form-8, and deletion through Form-7, wherever applicable, may be submitted through the prescribed online or offline modes. For election-related information or clarification, the public may contact the toll-free voter helpline 1950. CEO Puri added that even now if someone's name hasn't been added then they can file an appeal before the SEO or DEO under Section 24. Some additions can still be made even after this list is published. Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari took to Twitter to question the deletion of voters. He said that between June 1, 2024 and September 22, 2026, the city has lost 1.9 lakh electors, i.e, 30% of the electorate. He added that since no state or UT is gaining electors who were these 1.9 lakh electors. If they were duplicate voters then the election commission should tell where they are enrolled now. He also questioned whether they were ghost voters or simply didn't have the requisite documentation. "The truth will only be known when the names and addresses of deleted voters are made available separately after the final electoral roll has been published," he said....