Samajwadi Party Demands Extension of Voter List Revision in Uttar Pradesh

The Samajwadi Party has called on the Election Commission to extend the voter list revision process in Uttar Pradesh by three months, citing irregularities in form distribution and updating. The party alleges collusion between the BJP government and the Election Commission, with claims of missing voters and outdated voter lists.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) has formally urged the Election Commission to extend the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Uttar Pradesh, alleging extensive irregularities in form distribution and voter list updates. The request was made through a memorandum submitted to the chief electoral officer, where SP state president Shyam Lal Pal claimed that forms were not reaching all 15.44 crore voters across 403 Assembly segments.

The memorandum highlighted specific issues, such as deficiencies in distribution by booth level officers (BLOs) in the 70-Ghosi Lok Sabha constituency and parts of Mau district. It also flagged problems with outdated voter lists from 2003 not being uploaded across polling stations in the 271-Rudhauli Assembly constituency, potentially leading to notices for voters after the deadline.

SP asserted that the BJP government was using the SIR process to disenfranchise voters, particularly in areas supportive of the SP and the INDIA bloc. Highlighting concerns over the timing of the exercise during the wedding season, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav called for an extension and questioned the Election Commission's impartiality, urging standardized procedures for conducting the SIR.

(With inputs from agencies.)