Massive Voter Roll Cleanup Spurs Political Battle in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh's draft electoral roll will feature 12.55 crore voters, with 2.89 crore names deleted. Critics, including the Samajwadi Party and Congress, allege the process favors the ruling BJP. Deletions occurred due to reasons like death or relocation. A reapplication process and objections period begin January 1.

Uttar Pradesh is set to publish its draft electoral roll featuring approximately 12.55 crore voters, while 2.89 crore names have been omitted from the previous list. Those excluded have until January 31 to contest their deletions by submitting Form 6.

Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa explained that more than 1 crore voters fall into an 'unmapped' category, requiring submission of self-attested documents to move into the 'mapped' status as mandated by the Election Commission. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the rolls focused on ensuring a 'Clean Electoral Roll' and concluded in December.

Critics, including the Samajwadi Party and Congress, argue that the exercise is skewed towards benefiting the ruling BJP, accusations which the party dismisses as baseless. Deletions occurred due to death, relocation, or dual enrollments. The EC allows objections against included names via Form 7. The political temperature continues to rise over this electoral exercise.