Chandigarh: Retired Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer and former Indian Ambassador Ramesh Chander has been asked to provide additional documents to establish his eligibility as a voter during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Punjab. Chander, 75, said he has been voting from Jalandhar for several years and had already submitted his Aadhaar card, voter ID and other documents to the Booth Level Officer (BLO).
According to the notice, the documents submitted by Chander were considered insufficient to establish his eligibility as a voter, while his details did not match those in the last electoral roll used for the SIR exercise.
Former Diplomat Says He Has Voted in Jalandhar for Years
Chander said he has been voting from Jalandhar in several elections, including those held in 2007, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2022 and 2024. He said he received a notice asking him to appear with additional proof at an office on Ladowali Road on August 27.
A resident of Deol Nagar in Jalandhar, Chander said he had already provided his Aadhaar card, voter ID and other required documents to the BLO.
He also pointed out that Punjab has used the 2003 electoral roll as the baseline for the SIR exercise. Chander said he was serving in Japan in 2003 and therefore was not present in the country at that time.
Read Also: Who Is IFS Muanpuii Saiawi? Senior Diplomat Accredited as India’s High Commissioner to 4 Countries
Notice Part of SIR Verification Process
The notice issued by the Additional Electoral Registration Officer, Jalandhar West, states that the documents provided by Chander were inadequate to establish his eligibility as a voter and that his voter details did not match those in the previous electoral roll following the SIR exercise.
Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Varjeet Walia described the notice as part of the formal verification process. He said two categories of voters had so far remained outside the mapped electoral records — those who were unmapped and those involving logical discrepancies.
Walia also said officials had been instructed to make the process easier for voters. According to him, Chander’s required documents would be collected from his residence, meaning he would not need to visit an office for the verification.
Over 20 Lakh Voters Remain Unmapped in Punjab
The SIR exercise has involved verification of voters against earlier electoral records. According to the information provided, 20.69 lakh voters, or nearly 10% of Punjab’s electorate, remained unmapped after the first phase.
In Jalandhar alone, around 1.46 lakh voters remained unmapped.
The follow-up verification process for unmapped voters in Punjab is scheduled to continue until September 12, 2026, followed by publication of the final electoral roll on October 12, 2026.
Another Former Ambassador Faces Similar Issue
Ramesh Chander is the second former Indian ambassador reported to have faced a similar citizenship-verification issue during the Punjab SIR exercise.
Former diplomat Navdeep Suri also recently said he faced difficulties establishing his citizenship during the revision process. Suri said he had submitted his voter ID and Aadhaar card to the BLO but was later informed that some details did not match the 2003 electoral records.
The cases have drawn attention because both individuals have served the Indian government in diplomatic positions but have encountered additional verification requirements during the electoral-roll revision.
Who Is This IFS Officer?
Ramesh Chander is a retired Indian Foreign Service officer who served in several diplomatic assignments before retiring in December 2010. The Embassy of India in Minsk lists him as India’s Ambassador to Belarus from February 16, 2009, to December 31, 2010.
During his diplomatic career, Chander also served as Counsellor at the Embassy of India in Tokyo, Consul General of India in Edinburgh and Minister at the Embassy of India in Prague.
Chander was born and brought up in Jalandhar and pursued his higher education there. He returned to live in Jalandhar after his retirement and has remained connected with the city.
