UP Draft Electoral Roll Retains 12.55 Crore Voters

The Election Commission of India published the draft electoral roll for Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, retaining 12.55 crore voters out of the previous 15.44 crore after a special intensive revision exercise that led to the deletion of 2.89 crore names. Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa announced the figures during a press conference in Lucknow, noting that the deletions represent about 18.7 percent of the original list and mark the highest number removed in any of the 12 states and Union Territories undergoing the revision.

The revision, known as the Special Intensive Revision or SIR, began on November 4 with a door-to-door enumeration drive aimed at verifying voter details. Enumerators visited households to collect signed forms from voters or their family members, confirming eligibility and residency. Of the more than 15 crore voters on the old rolls, around 12 crore, or 81 percent, returned the required forms. The remaining 18 percent did not, resulting in their provisional exclusion. Rinwa explained that the deletions stemmed primarily from three categories: 46.23 lakh voters identified as deceased, 2.17 crore who had shifted residences permanently, and 25.47 lakh duplicate...