The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday released the draft electoral roll for Uttar Pradesh following the completion of the enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), resulting in the deletion of nearly 2.89 crore voters from the state’s voter list.
According to Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa, the electoral roll has been reduced from 15.44 crore electors to 12.55 crore, marking a contraction of 18.7 per cent, roughly one in every five voters.
In a statement, the Election Commission said that 12,55,56,025 electors, out of 15,44,30,092 voters listed as of October 27, 2025, submitted their Enumeration Forms by the end of the enumeration period on December 26, 2025. This, the Commission said, reflected “overwhelming participation” in the first phase of the SIR.
The Commission explained that the deletions were based on verified categories. Of the names removed, around 46.23 lakh (2.99 per cent) belonged to deceased voters, 2.17 crore (14.06 per cent) had shifted residence, and 25.46 lakh (1.65 per cent) were identified as duplicate entries.
“Genuine electors from the above categories can still be added back to the electoral roll during the Claims and Objections period from January 6 to February 6, 2026, by submitting Form-6 along with a declaration form and relevant supporting documents,” the ECI said.
The SIR exercise in Uttar Pradesh was initially scheduled to conclude on December 11. However, the state sought a 15-day extension after officials observed that nearly 2.97 crore names were likely to be excluded from the draft roll, prompting concerns over the scale of deletions.
The revision in Uttar Pradesh follows similar exercises carried out by the Election Commission in other states. The ECI recently completed the SIR in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, where the electoral rolls were reduced by 97 lakh and 74 lakh voters respectively. A draft roll was also published after special enumeration in Assam, where 10.56 lakh names were removed from the voter list.
The Election Commission has said the claims and objections phase will be crucial in ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded, while maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the electoral rolls ahead of upcoming elections.
