SIR: Uttar Pradesh Draft Electoral Roll Removes 2.89 Crore Names

The draft electoral roll after the Special Intensive Revision in Uttar Pradesh has removed the names of at least 2.89 crore voters, a senior Election Commission official said on Tuesday. Out of 15.44 crore voters, the names of 12.55 crore voters or about 81% have been retained in the draft electoral roll.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Election Officer Navdeep Rinwa told a press conference that the number of deceased voters in the state is 46.23 lakh, while 2.17 crore voters have either moved, are missing or are absent. There were 25.47 lakh voters whose names were registered in more than one place on the voter list.

Accordingly, 2.89 crore voters' names were not included in the draft, he said

The release of the draft electoral roll has been postponed three times since the SIR of electoral rolls began across 12 states and Union Territories on Oct. 27.

Rinwa clarified that the draft voter list is not final and names cannot be deleted from the SIR draft electoral roll without issuing prior notice to the concerned voters. Most of the deletions were reported from the cities of Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Prayagraj, and Kanpur.

Voters have been instructed to check their details by entering their EPIC number on the Commission's website. "If their name is not available, they should fill out Form 6," Rinwa said.

The final voter list under the SIR will be published on March 6 after all claims and objections are examined and resolved. The final list will form the basis for the upcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh.

UP Congress President Ajay Rai said the removal of 2.89 crore voters from the SIR draft list is a matter of inquiry. "1.13 crore forms, which were not returned. This is a big conspiracy, and a probe should be done," he told ANI.