Voter List Discrepancies Put Spotlight On Poll Preparedness In UP, EC Orders Action Against Officials

Lucknow: Alleged irregularities in electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh have triggered a political confrontation ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with the Election Commission ordering action against officials in Azamgarh after a probe found serious discrepancies in voter records.

The Azamgarh findings have assumed significance following the controversy in Pilibhit, where an inquiry found irregularities in 10,470 voter entries. The discovery of multiple entries bearing identical personal details in Azamgarh has raised serious questions about the accuracy of electoral rolls and the effectiveness of the verification process. With Assembly elections approaching, the cases have intensified concerns over whether the voter lists are being prepared and maintained in a manner that safeguards every eligible citizen’s right to vote.

In Azamgarh, the Election Commissy found 13 entries bearing the name Vikas Yadav in the electoral roll of the Azamgarh Assembly constituency. Two entries had already been deleted, while the remaining 11 were found to relate to different individuals. However, their personal particulars, including their fathers’ names, addresses and dates of birth, were found to be identical.

The issue was raised by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav at a press conference on October 15, when he alleged that the name of an individual had appeared multiple times in the electoral roll.

The inquiry has prompted the Election Commission to order proceedings against officials responsible for preparing and supervising the voter lists. Five booth-level officers and a computer assistant have been directed to be removed from electoral roll duties, with notices for termination of their services. Departmental proceedings have also been ordered against the then electoral registration officer and two assistant electoral registration officers.

The district election officer has been directed to examine the electoral rolls of all Assembly constituencies in Azamgarh and submit a detailed report within a week.

The Pilibhit controversy emerged after complaints that voter details had been altered even after the final electoral roll was published following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Opposition leaders alleged that the changes disproportionately affected Muslim voters and could potentially deprive eligible electors of their voting rights if the discrepancies remained uncorrected.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Udaiveer Singh said the party suspected that the discrepancies were not confined to Pilibhit and announced plans to conduct similar checks in around 100 Assembly constituencies across the state.

“We are questioning how such changes could have been made after the SIR. In particular, names of Muslim voters have been changed,” Singh said.

The SP leader's concerns centre on the need to ensure that every eligible voter is included in the electoral rolls and that no genuine voter is deprived of the right to vote because of errors or unauthorised changes. The party has called for accountability and a transparent verification process to safeguard free and fair elections.

The Election Commission has maintained that irregular entries are being examined and corrective action initiated wherever required. In Pilibhit, the authorities have ordered rectification of the affected entries, while the Azamgarh administration has been asked to conduct a wider scrutiny of electoral rolls across the district.

The developments have brought the preparation and verification of electoral rolls into sharper political focus as parties begin preparing for the 2027 Assembly elections. While the opposition has questioned the reliability of voter records, the action initiated by election authorities has also underscored the need for effective supervision and accountability in the preparation of electoral rolls.

The key question now is whether the scrutiny will identify and rectify similar discrepancies elsewhere in the state before the next Assembly elections.