Ahmedabad civic polls: SIR shrinks voter rolls, lifts turnout to 51.8%

Ahmedabad: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls appears to have played a role in driving up voter turnout in the 2026 Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) elections.

While the number of people who voted stayed almost the same, the turnout percentage rose sharply by 9.3 points.

In 2021, 19.65 lakh votes were cast from a total voter base of 46.24 lakh, resulting in a turnout of 42.51%. In 2026, the number of votes polled increased only slightly to 19.69 lakh— just 3,172 more voters. However, turnout jumped to 51.81%, suggesting that the revised voter list reduced the overall base while keeping participation steady. The election was conducted using this updated ward-wise voter list prepared after the SIR.



A senior official from the Ahmedabad collectorate said, "On Sunday, an average voter turnout of 51.81% was recorded across 48 municipal wards. This is the highest turnout compared to the previous three elections held in 2010, 2015 and 2021."

The revised 2026 voter list showed a drop of 8.24 lakh voters compared to 2021 figures. A decline in voter numbers was seen in 45 of the 48 wards. However, Chandkheda, Nikol and Maktampura recorded an increase in registered voters. In 2021, the total number of registered voters stood at 46.24 lakh, with turnout at 42.51%.

More than half of the wards reported turnout above 50% in the 2026 election. Out of 48 wards, 25 crossed the 50% mark, while 23 remained below it. Overall turnout stood at 51.81%. Male voter turnout was 55.20%, while female turnout was 48.18%, creating a gap of 7.02 percentage points.

The official added that the drop in total voters after the SIR brought the electorate down to around 38 lakh. "Despite this, turnout rose significantly. Over four election cycles, the number of votes cast has steadily increased from 15.82 lakh in 2010 to 18.04 lakh in 2015, 19.65 lakh in 2021 and 19.69 lakh in 2026."
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