Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer has ordered a statewide verification of electoral rolls and initiated disciplinary and legal action after the Congress alleged large-scale discrepancies in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, saying more than 16,000 voter entries were affected in the Pilibhit Sadar Assembly constituency alone.
Immediate orders and scope of inquiry
CEO Navdeep Rinwa directed the District Election Officer (DEO), Pilibhit, to carry out an inquiry into the alleged errors and instructed all DEOs across the state to examine the electoral rolls of Assembly constituencies in their districts. DEOs were asked to submit reports within two days, the office said.
The CEO’s order followed complaints from the state unit of the Congress alleging that data published during the SIR exercise did not match the subsequent electoral roll entries available online. The party raised concerns about mismatched Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers, changed names and removal or addition of voters.
Allegations from Congress
Addressing the media in Lucknow, AICC general secretary in-charge of UP, Rajendra Pal Gautam, cited Pilibhit Sadar (constituency number 127) as an example of what he said were significant discrepancies between the draft and final electoral rolls during the revision process.
"Congress workers checked the entries on the ground and found that the EPIC numbers and serial numbers were the same as those in the draft list, but the actual names had changed," Gautam said.
According to the complaint brought by party workers, the changes in Pilibhit Sadar included:
- 13,150 names that were allegedly changed between the draft SIR list published in April and subsequent updates between July and September;
- 804 voters listed as missing were said to have been removed despite reportedly continuing to reside in the constituency;
- around 2,600 names that the party alleged were added though the individuals did not live in the area.
Administration's response
The CEO’s office said it had ordered legal action against officials and staff found responsible for the errors following the preliminary inquiry. The directive to DEOs to review assembly-level rolls is aimed at ensuring that any anomalies detected in Pilibhit are not replicated elsewhere in the state.
Officials in the CEO’s office told reporters that the immediate focus was to establish whether the discrepancies arose from clerical mistakes, technical defects in the online display, or deliberate manipulation. The outcome of the DEOs’ reports will determine further administrative or criminal proceedings.
Political fallout and next steps
The Congress said it was examining “discrepancies” in other constituencies and would explore legal options based on the findings from local checks. Party leaders urged the election authorities to ensure transparency and clean up the rolls ahead of any future polls.
Election experts and political parties routinely stress the importance of accurate electoral rolls for free and fair polls; even minor errors can cause disenfranchisement or invite legal challenges. The SIR process, conducted periodically, is intended to remove duplicate or ineligible entries and include newly eligible voters.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Alleged affected entries in Pilibhit Sadar | 16,000+ |
| Names changed | 13,150 |
| Voters removed as 'missing' | 804 |
| Names allegedly added without residence | ~2,600 |
How the DEOs’ reports will be examined and whether the state election machinery will order further audits or corrections will be watched closely by political parties. The CEO’s instructions to submit district-level reports quickly suggest the administration is treating the matter with urgency to contain any wider implications.
For voters, the process underlines the need to check their names and EPIC details on the electoral roll and lodge claims or objections through the designated channels if discrepancies are noticed during revision exercises.
