Story perspectives

Punjab publishes final electoral rolls after 13.6 lakh omissions

By Drooid · Oct 14, 2026, 4:20 AM UTC · How we work

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Voter List Deletion Protests

Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra released the final electoral rolls for all 117 Assembly constituencies on Monday, 12 October 2026.
The omission of roughly 13.6 lakh names sparked protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The deletions cut the state electorate to about 2.01 crore, a 6.3 % drop from the pre-revision 2.14 crore.
Student activists and opposition leaders held nationwide demonstrations, alleging the revision could disenfranchise legitimate voters.

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Mass Elector Additions

Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra published the electoral rolls for all 117 Assembly constituencies statewide on Monday, 12 October 2026.
All recognized political parties attended a meeting and reported complete satisfaction with the revision process.
The revision added significantly 7,97,263 new electors while removing 86,038 ineligible voters.
Statewide special camps will let Booth Level Officers help voters file Form 6 on the spot.

History

Historical Context

The Election Commission of India, an independent body tasked with orderly polls, has a history of large-scale voter-list revisions, echoing the extensive elections of 1992 that tested electoral administration worldwide. In October 2026 Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra cut the state roll, prompting protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and leading to verification kiosks before the 2027 polls.

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Voter List Deletion Protests

Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra released the final electoral rolls for all 117 Assembly constituencies on Monday, 12 October 2026.
The omission of roughly 13.6 lakh names sparked protests demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The deletions cut the state electorate to about 2.01 crore, a 6.3 % drop from the pre-revision 2.14 crore.
Student activists and opposition leaders held nationwide demonstrations, alleging the revision could disenfranchise legitimate voters.

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