UP draft voter list: Nearly 2.9 crore names dropped ahead of December 31 publication

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh’s draft electoral roll, set to be published on 31 December, is expected to include around 12.55 crore voters, with nearly 2.89 crore names deleted from the pre-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) list, the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said on Sunday. Those excluded will have an opportunity to contest the deletions from 1 January.

Over 1 Crore “Unmapped” Voters

Of the 12,55,56,000 voters likely to appear in the draft list, more than one crore are in the “unmapped” category. Notices will be sent to these voters to submit self-attested documents from the 12 approved by the Election Commission (EC) to move them into the “mapped” category, Rinwa told PTI.

The 52-day SIR, themed Shuddh Nirvachak Namavali – Majboot Loktantra (Clean Electoral Roll – Strong Democracy), began on 4 November and concluded on 26 December after two extensions, producing a pruned draft list.

Opportunity to Reapply or Raise Objections

“Starting 1 January, the EC will roll out a month-long process during which any of the nearly 2.89 crore voters, 2,88,75,000 to be precise, whose names have been deleted for various reasons and want to contest the action can reapply by filling out Form 6,” Rinwa said. “Form 6 can also be used by new voters to apply.”

The deletions, accounting for roughly 18.7% of the pre-SIR electoral roll of 15.44 crore voters, were made for reasons such as death, relocation, or enrolment elsewhere. Most removals were reported from major urban centres including Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Prayagraj and Kanpur.

“Untraceable or missing voters, who also figure among the deleted, would need to show proof of (inclusion in) the 2003 SIR list or any of the ECI-prescribed documents for getting their names added to the voters' list,” Rinwa added.

Between 1 and 31 January, objections to the inclusion of names in the draft list can be filed using Form 7. If an objection is found valid, the name may be removed from the draft. Similarly, “unmapped” voters who fail to submit valid documents such as a birth certificate, family register, passport, school certificate, or residence proof may not appear in the final list.

“Over 91% of the voters to figure in the draft voter list are mapped. The Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) would start sending out notices to the remaining over 1 crore unmapped voters, urging them to furnish relevant documents. This process will continue well into February 2026,” Rinwa said.

Less than 8 lakh people have not returned the forms provided through Booth Level Officers and have therefore been included in the list of deleted names. “We cannot force them to fill up their forms,” Rinwa noted.

Political Tensions Over SIR

The deletion of names has sparked political debate in Uttar Pradesh. Opposition parties, including the Samajwadi Party and Congress, have raised concerns over the SIR exercise, alleging it has been conducted to favour the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP has rejected these claims as “bogus” and accused opponents of trying to shield “ghuspaithiyas (intruders)”.