Punjab: A day after the Punjab Chief Electoral Officer’s office on Sunday termed news reports pertaining to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Punjab and other parts of the country as “speculation”, the Electoral Registration Officer’s office in several parts of Punjab has asked to “relieving departmental officers for SIR preparations”. Sources say that on Monday, several field officers in charge of their constituency-wise voter lists have fixed dates of September 16 and 17 for officers to be deployed for revision of voter lists at the block level, by comparing the 2003 voter list with the current voter list. On Sunday, The Tribune had highlighted how after Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has started the process of SIR in flood-hit Punjab and other states. However, in a press release, the Chief Electoral Officer’s office termed the news reports as “speculation”. Documents available show that voter registration officers in several districts of Punjab have written official letters to schools, colleges, universities and heads of departments.
The letter dated September 15 directed them to relieve “supervisory officers and booth-level officers from departmental work for two days” (September 16 and 17) so that they can be assigned “preparation related work by the Election Commission of India”, which relates to “SIR-1.1.2026”. A senior PCS officer said that they have asked these officers to be deployed in the field to ensure that “all lists and preparations for revision of figures with the current list as compared to SIR 2003 are completed”. “Though no one wants to come out officially, the district electoral officers have been issued instructions to complete the entire process smoothly, so that whenever the Chief Electoral Office, Punjab asks for it, the districts keep their lists ready,” he said. Another senior official confirmed that preparations related to SIR are underway at the constituency level and “the work of comparing the 2025 voter lists with the 2003 voter lists will be completed soon. We have to ensure that we are ready with the complete list. Especially those constituencies which are new and were not part of the polling process before 2003. Revision of voter lists and compilation of data is necessary in such constituencies,” the official said.
Punjab: Despite Election Commission’s denial, officers were relieved from duty for two days
