UP MLC Elections 2026: ‘Ram Ne Yadav Ko Maara’, ‘BCom’ As Father’s Name Appear In Voter List; EC Blames Software Error

Strange entries in the electoral rolls for the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections have raised questions over the accuracy of voter details. Names such as ‘Ram ne Yadav ko maara’ and ‘Ram ne Sharma ko maara’, along with ‘BCom’ listed as a voter’s father’s name, were found in the Allahabad-Jhansi graduates’ constituency.

The discrepancies came to light ahead of polling for 11 Legislative Council seats on Friday. Lists highlighting the errors circulated widely on social media, prompting the Election Commission (EC) to issue a clarification. The mistakes have also raised concerns about the reliability of the new digital system used to prepare electoral rolls.

158 Entries Found With Unusual Details

Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa acknowledged the mistakes on Thursday, saying that 158 entries out of more than 14.81 lakh names across the 11 constituencies contained unusual details.

According to Rinwa, the errors affected only a small proportion of voters. He attributed several of the mistakes to software that was introduced to prepare electoral rolls online for the first time in the state’s graduate and teachers’ constituencies.

How A Name Turned Into A Sentence

The software was designed to convert names entered in English into Hindi. However, instead of simply changing the script, it sometimes translated the meaning of the words, resulting in incorrect names.

Rinwa explained that if a name such as ‘Ramhit Yadav’ was mistakenly entered as ‘Ram hit Yadav’, the software could translate it into Hindi as ‘Ram ne Yadav ko maara’. Although the system had an editing option to correct such mistakes, some errors remained in the final electoral roll.

‘BCom’ As Father’s Name Raises Questions

Not every discrepancy could be blamed on the software. Rinwa said the entry showing ‘BCom’ as a voter’s father’s name appeared to be the result of human error or negligence.

The incident highlights the importance of checking voter details before publishing electoral rolls. While technology can make the process faster, errors that remain unchecked can create confusion among voters.

New Digital System Replaces Manual Process

For the first time in Uttar Pradesh, electoral rolls for graduate and teachers’ constituencies were prepared digitally instead of through the earlier manual process at the district level, PTI reports.

The platform was developed by the election office’s information technology (IT) team in about four months. It handles voter registration, application processing, approvals, rejections, duplicate checks, serialisation and downloading of electoral rolls.

Inquiry Confirms Errors In Electoral Rolls

Following complaints from political parties and the circulation of lists showing discrepancies on social media, Rinwa ordered an inquiry into the matter.

The investigation, conducted by Jhansi Divisional Commissioner Vimal Kumar Dubey, confirmed that errors had occurred in the electoral roll.

Officials Told Not To Deny Voting Rights

Rinwa has directed district authorities to ensure that eligible voters are not prevented from voting because of clerical or printing mistakes.

Presiding officers have been instructed to check the necessary documents and allow eligible voters to cast their votes. District magistrates will be held responsible if voters are turned away because of such errors.

Over 14.81 Lakh Voters, 152 Candidates In Fray

Polling for five graduate and six teachers’ constituencies is scheduled from 8 am to 4 pm on Friday.

More than 14.81 lakh voters are eligible to vote at 2,697 polling stations spread across 72 districts. A total of 152 candidates are contesting the elections.

The episode serves as a reminder that digitisation alone cannot guarantee error-free electoral rolls. Careful verification remains essential, particularly when mistakes involve voters’ identities and their right to participate in elections.