Lucknow: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh has triggered fresh political controversy after remarks made by the Chief Minister during a BJP organisational workshop in Lucknow. Senior party leaders stressed that the SIR process would shape electoral outcomes for nearly two decades, urging legislators and cadres to prioritise voter list corrections with urgency.
According to party functionaries, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh cautioned MPs and MLAs that failure to actively participate in SIR could cost them future elections. He described the revision as a decisive exercise, advising leaders to complete the work within the stipulated timeline rather than rely on later procedural remedies.
The controversy intensified after the Chief Minister reportedly advised greater focus on booths with demographic imbalances, comments that opposition parties allege reinforce a divisive narrative.
Opposition leaders claim the statements reflect an attempt to influence voter distribution through administrative mechanisms rather than democratic engagement. They argue that such messaging risks deepening social fault lines while deflecting attention from governance issues.
The UP government maintains that SIR is a routine Election Commission–mandated process aimed at removing duplicate, shifted, or deceased voters to ensure transparency. Officials point out that all political parties have the right to raise claims and objections under existing rules.
However, critics contend that repeated references to religious demographics and internal warnings to party legislators suggest the exercise is being framed as a political tool ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. As SIR progresses, the debate over electoral integrity versus political intent continues to intensify across the state.
