Punjab Congress Demands Suspension of SIR Till Assembly Polls, Seeks Existing Electoral Rolls

September 24, 2026

Chandigarh: Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday demanded that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state be suspended until the upcoming Assembly elections are over.

Warring also called for the elections to be conducted using the electoral rolls that formed the basis of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, without deletions. He said this would help ensure that eligible voters are not denied their right to vote.

Punjab is currently undergoing the SIR process. The Election Commission published the draft electoral rolls for all 117 Assembly constituencies on August 13, 2026.

Congress Raises Concerns Over SIR and Form 6

In a statement, Warring claimed that thousands of genuine and first-time voters were facing difficulties because of the requirements in the new Form 6, which is used for voter registration.

He particularly raised concerns about the requirement for first-time voters to provide references to their parents or grandparents in previous electoral rolls, calling the provision difficult to comply with.

Warring alleged that the SIR, in its current form, could result in eligible voters being excluded from the electoral rolls. These are Congress’s claims and have not been independently established as evidence of deliberate disenfranchisement.

Warring Seeks Transparency Ahead of Punjab Polls

Warring said the Congress had repeatedly raised concerns over the SIR process and claimed that recent developments had reinforced the party’s apprehensions.

He also expressed concern over the possibility of large-scale deletions from Punjab’s electoral rolls before the Assembly elections, saying such a situation could affect eligible voters.

The Punjab Congress chief demanded that the SIR be suspended until the Assembly elections and conducted afterwards with greater transparency and without what he described as unnecessary complexities.

Punjab Electoral Roll Revision Underway

The Election Commission’s SIR process in Punjab has already moved beyond the draft-roll publication stage. The draft rolls were published on August 13, while the claims and objections period ran until September 12. The subsequent notice and disposal process is scheduled to continue through October 8.

The Election Commission had earlier revised the Punjab SIR schedule, with the process covering house-to-house verification, publication of draft rolls and subsequent claims and objections.

Warring’s demand comes ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections due in 2027, with the Congress seeking changes to the ongoing electoral-roll revision process.