LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Minister Ravindra Jaiswal alleged large-scale irregularities in the special intensive revision process in the state, claiming that nearly one lakh votes were deleted from his assembly segment Varanasi. The Election Commission of India, however, rejected the claim following preliminary verification.
Jaiswal made the claim at a press conference in Varanasi on February 12, noting that married women aged between 30 and 40 were registered under their father's names and that some voters were listed multiple times across different booths with identical details.
Calling the ongoing SIR a “major irregularity", the minister who represents Varanasi North Assembly segment submitted a memorandum to District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar demanding a comprehensive review of the process.
Amid mounting political pressure, UP Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa visited Varanasi and said that the list of allegedly fake or duplicate voters provided by the minister had been examined.
“In the first phase of verification, around 4,500 voters were checked. Only nine were found to be duplicate," Rinwa said, countering claims of widespread manipulation.
According to officials, a total of 9,000 names had been submitted for scrutiny. Most discrepancies found were attributed to double form submissions or technical overlaps rather than deliberate fraud.
The CEO maintained that there was no evidence of any organised attempt to tamper with the voter list.
Elaborating on the scale of ongoing voter list revision across the state, Rinwa said in the draft list published on January 6, notices were being issued to a total of 3.26 crore voters identified under two categories—1.04 crore under ‘No Mapping’ and 2.22 crore under ‘Logical Inconsistencies’.
While ‘No Mapping’ refers to cases where a voter’s name exists in the current electoral roll but cannot be matched with records from 2002 or 2005, placing them in the unmapped category, ‘Logical inconsistencies’ include discrepancies such as the same individual being registered at multiple locations or mismatches in age, address, or family details.
As per the officials, so far, around 1.09 crore notices were served and hearings were being conducted simultaneously. Officials said action would be taken only after due verification, stressing that the objective of the exercise was to ensure accuracy and transparency in the electoral rolls.
The CEO said that strict action would be taken only if it was proven that false information was deliberately furnished. Any attempt to manipulate the system by submitting incorrect forms could invite proceedings under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act.
“No innocent voter will be harassed. Action will be based strictly on concrete evidence," Rinwa said, stressing that maintaining the integrity of the electoral roll and public trust remains the administration’s top priority.
In the first draft, 12.55 crore names were listed across Uttar Pradesh. More than 86 lakh applications were already heard and processed. The deadline for corrections has been extended by a month to ensure eligible voters are included.
“The final electoral roll will be published on April 10, 2026, and will serve as a permanent record for future elections,” he said.