Congress MP Pramod Tiwari claims nearly 2.9 crore names (18-19% of voters) were removed from UP's electoral roll. He alleges the BJP is using the EC to disenfranchise the poor, Dalits, and backward classes through a rushed revision process.
Congress Alleges Mass Disenfranchisement
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari claimed that approximately "2 crore 90 lakh" names have been removed from the electoral roll in Uttar Pradesh, equating the population to that of several states combined. He claimed that about "18-19 per cent" of voters have been disenfranchised in the state. He told ANI that the high level of disenfranchisement was due to the rushed SIR process, which was carried out in just two or three months, and that Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi had raised concerns about it. He warned people to add their names to the electoral roll while the opportunity is available.
He alleged that the BJP is "deliberately" using the Election Commission to disenfranchise the vulnerable group that is to "ensure that the poor, especially those from the Dalit community, backward classes, and poor upper castes, are unable to cast their votes." Speaking to ANI, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said, "Approximately two crore 90 lakh names have been removed from the electoral roll in Uttar Pradesh...This means that a population equivalent to several states has been disenfranchised here, at approximately 18-19%. This is simply because of the concerns that Kharge ji, Rahul ji, and we had raised about the hurried process being carried out in just two or three months...There is still a chance; people should get their names added to the electoral roll. But the Bharatiya Janata Party is deliberately using the Election Commission to ensure that the poor, especially those from the Dalit community, backward classes, and poor upper castes, are unable to cast their votes"
Official Figures from UP CEO
Deletion Statistics by City
Following the completion of the enumeration phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Uttar Pradesh, the Office of the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has said that Lucknow has the highest number of voters deleted, 30.04 per cent, in the draft Electoral roll. According to UP CEO Navdeep Rinwa, on October 27, there were 39,94,535 electors in the city, while on January 5, the number was reduced to 27,94,397. Ghaziabad recorded the second-highest deletion with 28,37,991 electors on October 27 and 20,19,852 voters on January 5.
On Tuesday, Rinwa said that 18.70 per cent of names were removed from the draft voter list before it was published after the Enumeration Phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state. He further said that people can enter their EPIC number on the official website, which will provide the booth details and the serial number where the name is registered. He further said that a booth-wise list of people has been declared whose names were there before October 27 but did not appear in draft voter list, with the reason for deletion also mentioned.
On Tuesday, Navdeep Rinwa announced the publication of the draft electoral roll after the completion of the Enumeration Phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state. A total of 2.89 crore names were deleted from the draft voter list.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Process
In an official statement, the Office of the CEO said the Election Commission of India (ECI) is implementing the SIR of the Electoral Rolls in Uttar Pradesh with a clearly defined objective to ensure inclusion of all the eligible electors and exclusion of all the ineligible electors with complete transparency at every stage of the process. A total of 12,55,56,025 electors, out of a total of 15,44,30,092 electors, as per the Electoral Roll on October 27, 2025, have submitted their Enumeration Forms till December 26, 2025, reflecting an overwhelming participation in the first phase of SIR, according to the CEO.
"The successful completion of this phase is the result of coordinated efforts of DEOs of all 75 districts, 403 EROs, 2042 AEROs, and BLOs deployed at 162486 polling booths, supported by volunteers. Field representatives of all recognised Political Parties, including their District Presidents, also actively participated, with as many as 5,76,611 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by them," the CEO office's statement read. To ensure universal awareness and participation, during the enumeration period, CEOs, DEOs and EROs conducted extensive awareness campaigns. They held multiple meetings with political parties to explain the process and share the progress updates.BLOs also conducted booth-level meetings with BLAs, who were allowed to file up to 50 Enumeration Forms per day to ensure their active involvement in SIR.
BLOs carried out house-to-house visits to all electors whose names were in the electoral roll as on October 27, 2025, to distribute Enumeration Forms, followed by at least three visits for collection. BLAs and volunteers also made dedicated efforts to ensure that no eligible elector was missed.
Next Steps: Claims and Objections
As per the SIR Order, the Draft Electoral Roll has been published on January 6, 2026. Printed and digital booth-wise copies have been provided to all recognised Political Parties and also made available on the CEO's website (ceouttarpradesh.nic.in). The claims and objections period runs from January 6, 2026, to February 6, 2026. Any existing or prospective elector may file claims or objections for inclusion of eligible electors or deletion of ineligible names. A total of 403 EROs and 2042 AEROs are in position to scrutinise such cases by February 27, 2026. In addition, Additional AEROs have been notified, as required, to dispose of the claims and objections within the prescribed time limit. (ANI)
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