Significant Voter Roll Changes in Uttar Pradesh Following Special Intensive Revision
Major Changes in Voter Registration
In Uttar Pradesh, nearly one in five voters may find their names removed following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), as the Election Commission of India (ECI) released a draft roll on Tuesday indicating the removal of 28.9 million names. This represents the highest percentage of removals among major states where this contentious process was implemented.
The current figure shows a decrease of approximately 2.89 million from the previous total of 154.4 million voters. During a press conference, the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinhwa announced the release of the draft voter list following the SIR process.
Details of the Draft Voter List
The draft list now includes 125,556,025 voters, a significant drop from the 154,430,092 voters recorded in the list from October 27 last year. Approximately 2.89 million voters were not counted during this revision.
The CEO stated that claims and objections regarding the draft voter list can be submitted from January 6 to February 6. During this period, individuals can apply to include their names, make corrections, or raise objections.
Statistics on Voter Removals
Rinhwa shared that 4.623 million voters (2.99%) were found deceased, while 25.7 million voters (14.06%) were either permanently relocated or unavailable during the verification process. Additionally, 2.547 million voters were registered at multiple locations.
The draft voter list now encompasses all 75 districts and 403 assembly constituencies in the state, with the involvement of 172,486 polling booths. Booth-level officers (BLOs) reached out to voters to assist with the registration process.
Political Reactions to the Draft List
Rinhwa noted that the exercise was initially set to conclude on December 11, but due to the significant number of removals, an extension of 15 days was requested. Consequently, the ECI approved an extension of the SIR process until December 26.
The original date for releasing the draft voter list was December 31, but it was postponed to January 6 due to unforeseen circumstances. Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh have criticized the draft list preparation.
Ajay Rai, the president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress, expressed concerns about the limited time allocated for preparing the voter list, calling it a hasty decision. He argued that a larger state like Uttar Pradesh should have been given at least five to six months, similar to the timeline provided in 2002-03, to avoid undue pressure on booth-level officers and prevent potential issues.
Warnings from Political Leaders
Akhilesh Yadav, president of the Samajwadi Party, issued a warning to the ECI regarding the draft list in his wife Dimple Yadav's constituency of Mainpuri, urging the commission to address the legitimate names removed from the voter list before public anger escalates.
Congress leader Gurdeep Singh Sappal claimed that his and his family members' names were missing from the SIR, despite having all necessary documentation and being listed in the 2003 voter list. He stated that his name was removed solely because he transferred his registration from Sahibabad to Noida.
The commission has opened a window for objections and claims from January 6 to February 6, allowing any eligible voter whose name is missing to apply for registration using Form-6. Voters found registered at multiple locations will have their names retained at only one verified location after investigation.