4 October 2026
The final electoral roll of the Chandigarh Parliamentary Constituency was published on September 22 after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and lists 4,60,209 electors.
The draft roll had 4,50,282 electors, while the 2024 Lok Sabha roll had 6,59,805 electors, a fall of 30.26 per cent.
Special enrolment camps will be held at all polling stations on October 10 and 11, from 10 am to 3 pm.
The drive targets young and first-time voters, and Booth Level Officers are making house-to-house visits.
Form 6 is for new registration; the Voter Helpline number is 1950.
Final roll:
4,60,209
Draft roll:
4,50,282
2024 Lok Sabha roll:
6,59,805
Fall since 2024:
30.26 per cent
Special camps:
October 10 and 11, 10 am to 3 pm
Why it matters for exams: Electoral roll revision, voter-registration forms and the Election Commission's outreach are standard polity topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
SIR Special Intensive Revision — A house-to-house revision of the electoral roll carried out by the Election Commission.
BLO Booth Level Officer — The official who verifies electors at a polling-station level.
4 October 2026
The Indian Audit and Accounts Department has asked the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation why no action was taken against nominated councillor Anil Masih in connection with the mayoral election of January 30, 2024.
The corporation replied that the decision on action against Masih was pending with the higher authority.
The department has kept its observation pending.
The Supreme Court had set aside the result, declared AAP candidate Kuldeep Kumar the validly elected mayor and directed a show-cause notice to Masih under Section 340 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Mayoral poll held:
January 30, 2024
Declared mayor by Supreme Court:
Kuldeep Kumar
CrPC section invoked:
Section 340
Why it matters for exams: Connects municipal governance, audit oversight and the Supreme Court's use of its powers in an election dispute.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Section 340 CrPC Section 340 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 — The provision for inquiry into offences affecting the administration of justice.
Background
Sukhna Lake, "nestled at the foothills of the Shivalik Hills in Chandigarh, India, is one of the most beautiful man-made lakes in India". The Ministry of Tourism describes it as "A declared National Wetland, this 3 square kilometre rain-fed reservoir" that "came into existence in 1958 when the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream originating from the Shivalik Hills, was dammed". "Architect Le Corbusier, along with Chief Engineer L. Verma, envisioned Sukhna Lake as a serene oasis." Two rules were set to protect it: "motorboats are forbidden on the water, and vehicular traffic is prohibited on the dam's promenade". The roof of the dam serves as the lake's promenade. In winter the lake "becomes a sanctuary for exotic migratory birds such as the Siberian duck, storks, and cranes". It has hosted the Asian Rowing Championships and "boasts Asia's longest channel for rowing and yachting events".
What kind of lake it is:
one of the most beautiful man-made lakes in India
Area and type:
this 3 square kilometre rain-fed reservoir
How the lake was formed:
came into existence in 1958 when the Sukhna Choe, a seasonal stream originating from the Shivalik Hills, was dammed
Wetland status:
A declared National Wetland
Who envisioned it:
Architect Le Corbusier, along with Chief Engineer L. Verma
Winter migratory birds:
exotic migratory birds such as the Siberian duck, storks, and cranes
Why it matters for exams: Sukhna is a standard trap: it looks like a natural lake on a map but is a dammed seasonal stream, and its status as a declared National Wetland links a city water body to India's wetland questions.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Choe choe (seasonal hill stream) — A choe is a seasonal stream running down from the Shivalik hills, carrying water mainly in the monsoon.
Rain-fed reservoir rain-fed reservoir — A stored water body that receives no perennial supply and fills only from rainfall run-off in its catchment.
Background
The Rock Garden at Chandigarh was "Crafted by a former road inspector, Nek Chand, in 1957" and is "also known as Nek Chand's Rock Garden". The Ministry of Tourism records it as "Spread across a massive 40-acre wonderland" and "Meticulously divided into three distinct phases". Nek Chand worked on "the once-barren forest area near Sukhna Lake, transforming it into a hidden wonderland through a complex network of interlinked courtyards that spanned 12 acres". "For 18 years, Nek Chand's labour of love remained a closely guarded secret" until "its existence was unveiled to the authorities in 1975"; public support saved it from demolition, he was given "a team of 50 artisans", and "In 1976, the gates to this enchanting realm were opened". The garden now has "over 5,000 statues adorning its borders" and is "an open-air exhibition celebrating the best from waste", in which "terracotta pots, light fixtures, and even broken toilet pots are reimagined into extraordinary masterpieces", alongside "tiles, mirrors, broken bangles".
Who made it, and when:
Crafted by a former road inspector, Nek Chand, in 1957
Extent of the garden:
Spread across a massive 40-acre wonderland
Number of statues:
over 5,000 statues adorning its borders
Layout:
Meticulously divided into three distinct phases
Years it stayed a secret:
For 18 years, Nek Chand's labour of love remained a closely guarded secret
When it opened to the public:
In 1976, the gates to this enchanting realm were opened
Why it matters for exams: The Rock Garden is the standard example in Indian art and environment questions of a public artwork made entirely from municipal waste, and candidates routinely credit it to Le Corbusier instead of Nek Chand.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Best from waste best from waste — Making usable or artistic objects out of discarded material instead of new raw material.
Background
The Capitol Complex at Chandigarh is not inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a property of its own. It is one component of a property that the List carries under the title "The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement". The listing gives the Date of Inscription as 2016 and the criteria as (i)(ii)(vi). The page states that "the 17 sites comprising this transnational serial property are spread over seven countries", and elsewhere that they lie "in seven countries on three continents". The States Parties named for the property are Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, India, Japan and Switzerland. The Indian component appears on the page as "The Complexe du Capitole in Chandigarh (India)". UNESCO records that the Capitol Complex "had a considerable influence across the Indian subcontinent, where it symbolized India's accession to modernity". The 17 sites were chosen from work by Le Corbusier that survives "in eleven countries on four continents".
Title of the World Heritage property:
The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement
Date of Inscription:
2016
Criteria:
(i)(ii)(vi)
Spread of the serial property:
the 17 sites comprising this transnational serial property are spread over seven countries
The Indian component site:
The Complexe du Capitole in Chandigarh (India)
Why it matters for exams: A property shared by seven countries is exactly the kind of World Heritage entry an examiner uses to link an Indian site to a global list, and candidates who have learnt the Capitol Complex as a stand-alone Indian site get it wrong.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Serial property serial World Heritage property — A single World Heritage inscription made up of several separate component sites rather than one continuous area.
States Parties States Parties to the World Heritage Convention — The countries that have signed the World Heritage Convention and are responsible for the properties on their territory.
Background
Chandigarh is described by the Ministry of Tourism as "India's first planned city. A captivating union territory". It was "Envisioned by the renowned Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier", and the city "offers a unique grid-like design" of "wide, tree-lined avenues and well-defined sectors", set against "the breathtaking backdrop of the Shivalik mountain range". Its civic centre is the Capitol Complex, which "spreads over 100 acres and comprises three significant buildings: the seat of the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat Building, and the High Court". The Ministry calls the Complex the "civic citadel anchoring Chandigarh's urban nucleus" and the city's "pulsing civic heart", and records that it "was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site". Four artistic monuments stand within it: the Open Hand Monument, Geometric Hill, Tower of Shadows and the Martyrs Monument. The Open Hand is an "85-foot-high" sculpture, "a colossal metallic palm that rotates gently with the winds, embodying Chandigarh's spirit of openness", and the Ministry describes it as "a powerful symbol of peace and unity".
The three buildings of the Capitol Complex:
the seat of the Legislative Assembly, the Secretariat Building, and the High Court
Extent of the Capitol Complex:
spreads over 100 acres
Height of the Open Hand sculpture:
85-foot-high
Artistic monuments inside the Complex:
the Open Hand Monument, Geometric Hill, Tower of Shadows, and the Martyrs Monument
What the Ministry of Tourism calls the Capitol Complex:
civic citadel anchoring Chandigarh's urban nucleus
How the Ministry of Tourism describes the Open Hand Monument:
a powerful symbol of peace and unity
How the Ministry of Tourism describes Chandigarh:
India's first planned city. A captivating union territory
Why it matters for exams: Examiners test whether a candidate knows that a single planned complex at Chandigarh holds the legislature, the executive secretariat and the High Court together, and that the Open Hand that turns with the wind is one of the four artistic monuments standing inside that same complex.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Sector planning sector — In Chandigarh's plan a sector is one of the well-defined blocks into which the city's grid-like layout is divided, set along wide, tree-lined avenues.
Background
Background: Panjab University is the main university of the Union Territory, set beside today's Chandigarh news on education and skills.
It was established in 1882 as the University of Punjab at Lahore, now in Pakistan.
It functions under the Panjab University Act VII of 1947, enacted by the Government of India.
The North Campus is in Sector 14 and the South Campus in Sector 25, together covering 550 acres.
It has 74 teaching and research departments, 15 centres and chairs and 202 affiliated colleges.
Campuses:
Sector 14 and Sector 25
Area:
550 acres
Departments:
74
Affiliated colleges:
202
Why it matters for exams: Institutions of Chandigarh and their origins before Partition are a recurring general-knowledge topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Background: today's Chandigarh news names Gulab Chand Kataria as UT Administrator, as in the anti-drug campaign review.
The President appoints the Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan communique of 2016 appointed the Punjab Governor as Administrator "in addition to his duties as Governor of Punjab".
It followed a 32-year-old system in which the Punjab Governor also controlled the Union Territory as Administrator.
The Centre had briefly planned a separate Administrator, but dropped the idea.
Appointing authority:
The President
Administrator is also:
Governor of Punjab
Earlier system:
32-year-old
Why it matters for exams: Administration of Union Territories through an Administrator appointed by the President is a core polity topic.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Administrator Administrator of a Union Territory — The President's appointee who runs a Union Territory without an elected state-style executive.
Background
Background: the same Union Territory whose electoral roll and Administrator feature in today's news.
Chandigarh lies about 265 km north of New Delhi and is bounded by Haryana on the east and by Punjab on all other sides.
It is the capital of the Union Territory itself and of the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.
The city was designed by the Swiss-born architect Le Corbusier, with construction beginning in the early 1950s.
Its layout comprises over 50 rectangular sectors, and its name comes from the Chandi Mandir, a temple dedicated to the goddess Chandi.
Distance from New Delhi:
about 265 km north
Sectors:
over 50 rectangular sectors
Architect:
Le Corbusier
Why it matters for exams: Shared capitals and planned cities are favourite general-knowledge and polity questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Background: the High Court in Chandigarh refused on January 31, 2024 to stay the outcome of the mayoral polls, before the dispute reached the Supreme Court.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court is a common institution for the states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
Its building was designed by the famous French architect Le Corbusier.
Jurisdiction:
Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh
Building designed by:
Le Corbusier
Why it matters for exams: A single High Court serving several states and a Union Territory is a common polity question.
Kerala PSCUPSC