UP voter roll revision delayed again; nearly 2.9 crore names face deletion

The Election Commission has postponed the publication of Uttar Pradesh’s draft electoral rolls for the third time, shifting the date from December 31 to January 6, amid indications that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) could result in the deletion of nearly 2.89 crore voters — 18.70% of the state’s electorate.

Provisional data shows Uttar Pradesh is set to record the highest number of deletions among the 12 states and Union Territories where the SIR began on October 27, according to Indian Express. Tamil Nadu (15%) and Gujarat (14.5%) follow, based on draft rolls released earlier this month.

As seen in other states, most deletions are attributed to voters being marked deceased, shifted, absent, or enrolled at multiple locations. So far, no major irregularities have been flagged by political parties, including the Opposition Samajwadi Party (SP).

UP Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said the delay is due to the creation of 15,030 new polling booths following a booth rationalisation exercise. Voters’ names are being reassigned, new part numbers allotted, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) appointed, and electoral rolls updated for publication at the newly created booths on January 6.

On December 23, the EC approved booth rationalisation based on 1,200 voters per booth, down from 1,500 earlier. As a result, the total number of polling booths in Uttar Pradesh has risen from 1.62 lakh to 1.77 lakh.

Under the revised schedule, the draft electoral roll will be published on January 6, with claims and objections invited until February 6. Disposal of claims, objections and decisions on Enumeration Forms (EFs) will continue until February 27, and the final voter list will be published on March 6. Earlier, the final list was due on February 28.

This marks the third extension of the SIR timeline in Uttar Pradesh. The enumeration phase concluded on December 26, after which officials found that nearly 2.89 crore voters out of 15.44 crore had been marked for deletion due to non-collection of enumeration forms.

Data analysis shows that urban districts are witnessing disproportionately high deletions. The worst-hit districts include Lucknow (12 lakh deletions, 30%), Prayagraj (11.56 lakh, 24.64%), Kanpur Nagar (9 lakh, 25.5%), Agra (8.36 lakh, 23.25%) and Ghaziabad (8.18 lakh, 28.83%), followed by Bareilly, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Sitapur and Jaunpur.

Urban areas in Uttar Pradesh have traditionally been BJP strongholds. A BJP leader said the party would focus on adding new voters ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, estimating that nearly 50 lakh people will become eligible to vote by then.

Political parties across the spectrum said the deletions do not appear to target supporters of any specific party. SP leaders in Lucknow and Prayagraj said many urban voters — students, job-seekers and migrants — have opted to retain registration at their native or rural addresses, leading to higher deletions in cities. The party has asked its Booth Level Agents to track “absent” voters and assist with fresh registrations.

BJP leaders echoed similar reasons, citing absentee voters and duplicate registrations, and said party workers would reach out to genuine voters left out of the draft rolls to ensure their inclusion before the final list is published.