Digitisation of Forms Completed After Door-to-Door Enumeration
Punjab has completed the digitization of enumeration forms collected during its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, covering nearly 1.94 crore electors across all 117 Assembly constituencies. The milestone comes ahead of the revised August 3 deadline and moves the state into the crucial draft-roll, claims and objections stage before the final electoral roll is published on October 12.
Punjab has completed 100% digitization of enumeration forms collected during the door-to-door phase of the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra said the exercise was completed a day before the August 3 deadline, marking a major administrative milestone ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
The Punjab SIR 2026 exercise covered approximately 1.94 crore electors, or about 90.4% of Punjab’s roughly 2.14 crore electorate. The exercise is significant because it is intended to verify voter records, identify entries requiring further scrutiny, and provide eligible citizens with opportunities to correct or establish their electoral details.
The timeline had already been revised by the Election Commission of India, extending house-to-house enumeration to August 3. The draft electoral roll is now scheduled for August 13, followed by claims and objections until September 12 and publication of the final roll on October 12.
For readers following the Hamirpur Zila Parishad President Election 2026, this Punjab exercise is separate and concerns the state’s electoral rolls, but it illustrates why voter-list verification remains important before major elections.
Key Takeaways
- 100% digitization completed: Punjab CEO Anindita Mitra said digitization of enumeration forms was completed one day before the August 3 deadline across all 117 Assembly constituencies.
- 1.94 crore forms covered: Around 1.94 crore electors participated in the enumeration process, representing approximately 90.4% of Punjab’s 2.14 crore electorate.
- Next phase begins August 13: The draft electoral roll is scheduled to be published on August 13, with claims and objections accepted through September 12.
- Final roll due October 12: After verification and disposal of claims and objections, the final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on October 12, 2026.
- Political parties remain watchful: AAP Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann raised concerns about fake votes and said party workers would monitor the process with Booth Level Officers. At the same time, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring questioned the timing of SIR ahead of the Assembly election.
- 879 polling booths added: Polling-station rationalization has increased Punjab’s polling booths from 24,453 to 25,332, adding 879 locations to the network.
Punjab Completes SIR Form Digitization
The Special Intensive Revision Punjab exercise began with house-to-house visits by Booth Level Officers, or BLOs. The original schedule called for enumeration from June 25 to July 24, but the Election Commission later extended the field exercise until August 3.
BLOs visited households, provided pre-filled enumeration forms, verified voter information, and collected completed forms. Those forms were subsequently digitized as part of the Punjab voter digitisation process.
Earlier in July, more than one crore forms had already been digitized during the first 16 days, demonstrating the scale of the statewide operation. At that stage, officials said 24,453 BLOs were reaching more than 2.14 crore electors.
The completion of digitization means the process can now move toward the publication of the draft roll and the formal scrutiny of claims, objections, and cases requiring additional verification.
Punjab SIR 2026: Key Facts at a Glance
| Particular | Data |
| Total electorate | 2.14 crore |
| Forms digitized | 1.94 crore |
| Participation | 90.4% |
| ASDD category | 20.69 lakh |
| Assembly constituencies | 117 |
| Polling booths after rationalization | 25,332 |
| New polling booths | 879 |
| Claims & objections | Aug. 13 to Sept. 12 |
| Final electoral roll | Oct. 12, 2026 |
Figures reflect official statements and leading news reporting available for the respective stages of the exercise.
1.94 Crore Voters Covered in Enumeration Drive
The headline figure from the exercise is approximately 1.94 crore forms collected and digitized. That represents about 90.4% of the state’s total electorate of approximately 2.14 crore.
However, readers should distinguish between forms digitized and voters requiring further mapping or verification. Hindustan Times reported a detailed ASDD classification involving approximately 20.69 lakh electors, while a separate News On AIR report referred to around 12 lakh voters who had not been mapped and said election staff would contact them during the August 13 to September 12 period. These figures should not automatically be treated as interchangeable because they refer to different stages or categories within the verification process.
How the Enumeration Process Worked
The field-level process involved:
- BLOs conducting house-to-house verification across Punjab’s 117 Assembly constituencies.
- Pre-filled enumeration forms being supplied to registered electors.
- Voters checking their details and returning the forms to BLOs.
- Electoral staff digitizing the information and identifying records requiring additional scrutiny.
The goal of Punjab voter verification is not simply to remove names. It is to establish an accurate electoral database in which eligible voters remain included while records needing correction or verification can be examined.
20.69 Lakh Electors Classified Under ASDD
One of the most important aspects of the Punjab voter list revision is the classification of certain records under ASDD, meaning Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate.
According to the Hindustan Times breakdown cited in the reporting, approximately 20.69 lakh electors fell into these categories:
| ASDD category | Approximate number | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Permanently shifted | 9.44 lakh | 46% |
| Reported deceased | 5.74 lakh | 28% |
| Untraceable or absent | 4.14 lakh | 20% |
| Registered at more than one location | 1.18 lakh | 6% |
| Total | 20.69 lakh | 100% |
These classifications should be interpreted carefully. Being placed in an ASDD category during the revision exercise does not by itself establish that every person is ineligible to vote. Verification, notices, claims, objections and the applicable electoral procedures remain important before any final decision is made.
This distinction is particularly relevant for migrant workers, people who have moved between cities, families with outdated addresses and voters who may have been temporarily absent when BLOs visited.
AAP, Congress Raise Concerns Over SIR
The political debate around SIR has been significant because Punjab is expected to vote in the 2027 Assembly election.
AAP’s Position
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann warned that genuine voters should not be deleted and raised concerns about attempts to create “fake votes.” He said AAP leaders and workers would remain present alongside BLOs to monitor the process and prevent irregularities.
Congress’ Position
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring questioned why SIR was being conducted so close to the next Assembly election. He expressed concern that the timing could create a risk of genuine voters being excluded and called for political parties to remain alert during the exercise. These were political allegations and concerns expressed by Warring, rather than findings established by the Election Commission.
BJP’s Position
Hindustan Times reported that the BJP was the major party in Punjab that did not join the broader criticism concerning the intent and timing of the exercise. Separately, the BJP raised specific complaints about alleged conduct by some officials and BLOs, including claims concerning collection of information beyond the prescribed SIR requirements.
The competing positions demonstrate why the next phase is important: voters and political parties will have an opportunity to examine the draft roll and raise specific objections through the prescribed process.
879 New Polling Booths Added in Punjab
Polling-station rationalization is another important development linked to the exercise.
Punjab has 117 Assembly constituencies, and the number of polling booths has increased from 24,453 to 25,332, representing the creation of 879 additional polling booths.
The change can matter at the ground level. More polling locations may affect booth-level organization, voter convenience, party deployment and election-day management. It also gives political parties a new organizational map to study ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
Earlier official reporting identified Punjab’s electoral framework as 23 districts, 117 constituencies and 24,453 polling stations before the rationalization exercise.
District-Level Participation Shows Variation
Participation was not uniform across Punjab.
Hindustan Times reported that five of the state’s 23 districts recorded participation above 94%. Mansa recorded the highest participation at approximately 96.3%, while SAS Nagar recorded the lowest at about 82%.
In SAS Nagar, approximately 1.54 lakh forms were reportedly not returned out of around 6.99 lakh electors. Such variation is important because areas with lower form-return rates may require greater attention during the claims and verification stage.
At the Assembly constituency level, reporting indicated that 81 constituencies had ASDD levels below 10%, while 15 constituencies recorded ASDD levels above 15%. These figures offer political parties and election administrators an indication of where additional verification may be particularly relevant.
What Happens During Claims and Objections?
The next stage is crucial for voters who believe their details have been incorrectly omitted, recorded, or classified.
The process can broadly be understood as:
Enumeration → Digitization → Draft Electoral Roll → Claims & Objections → Verification/Hearings → Final Electoral Roll
The claims-and-objections period is scheduled from August 13 to September 12, 2026. During this period, eligible citizens should carefully check whether their names and electoral details appear correctly in the draft roll.
What Voters Should Check
Voters should pay particular attention to:
- Name and spelling
- Age or date of birth
- Residential address
- Assembly constituency
- Polling station
- Duplicate or outdated records
- Whether a family member’s name is missing
- Any notice requiring additional verification
The SIR form online and official voter-service facilities can be useful for checking electoral information, but voters should rely on official Election Commission channels rather than unofficial websites or social-media claims.
Final Punjab Electoral Roll to Be Published on October 12
Following the claims-and-objections period, election authorities will examine submissions and complete the required verification and hearings. The final Punjab electoral roll 2026 is scheduled to be published on October 12.
The schedule was revised by the Election Commission in July. Punjab’s draft roll moved to August 13, the claims-and-objections window to August 13 through September 12, and the final roll to October 12.
For anyone tracking Punjab SIR latest news, the October publication date is therefore more consequential than the completion of digitization alone. Digitization is an administrative milestone, while the final electoral roll determines the outcome of the revision process.
What Punjab SIR Means Ahead of 2027 Assembly Polls
The revised roll could have practical consequences for eligible voter inclusion, duplicate-entry correction, shifted voters, migrant populations and urban constituencies.
It could also influence how political parties organize their booth-level operations. Parties will have to compare the draft and final rolls with their existing booth data, identify missing supporters or changed addresses, and ensure that eligible voters understand the claims process.
For election watchers, the key issue is not whether the SIR benefits one party. There is currently no evidence in the figures presented here that establishes such an outcome. The more measurable question is whether the process produces a more accurate roll while giving every eligible voter a meaningful opportunity to remain included.
The timing is politically sensitive because Punjab is approaching the 2027 Assembly election. That makes transparency, verification and timely disposal of objections especially important.
Conclusion
Punjab’s completion of enumeration-form digitization marks the end of the large-scale field-collection phase and the beginning of a more important scrutiny stage. With about 1.94 crore forms digitized, attention now shifts to the draft roll, ASDD classifications, voter claims, objections, and final verification.
The political stakes are high because the revised roll will become an important reference point before the 2027 Assembly election. The credibility of the exercise will ultimately depend on whether eligible voters can verify their names, correct errors and receive a fair opportunity to challenge omissions before the final roll is published.
