A major revision of Uttar Pradesh's electoral rolls has revealed significant discrepancies, with over one crore voters placed in an 'unmapped' category and several lakh names deleted for various reasons. The exercise, which saw multiple deadline extensions, highlights challenges like migration and outdated records in maintaining accurate voter lists.
Widespread Discrepancies and Deletions
The draft electoral roll revision uncovered multiple categories of irregularities. A substantial 25.5 lakh voters, constituting over 1.6% of the electorate, were found enrolled in two different places. Furthermore, a staggering 79.5 lakh (5.1%) voters could not be traced at their registered addresses, and records confirmed that 46.2 lakh (almost 3%) voters were deceased. Additionally, over 7.7 lakh (0.5%) voters did not return their filled-in enumeration forms.
The cleanup effort resulted in significant deletions across districts, with Lucknow reporting the highest percentage at 30%. It was followed by Ghaziabad (28.8%), Balrampur (26%), and Kanpur Nagar (25.5%). In contrast, Lalitpur district had the least deletions at 9.9%, with Hamirpur (10.8%) and Mahoba (12.4%) also showing relatively lower figures.
The Challenge of 'Unmapped' Voters
A critical finding from the revision is that over 1 crore (8%) out of 12.5 crore voters have been classified as 'unmapped'. Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa explained that these voters either could not trace their lineage on the current rolls or their names were absent from the 2003 State Index of Registrations (SIR) list.
"Such voters have been put in the 'unmapped' category and will be issued notices in the next 31 days," Rinwa stated. To get their names reinstated in the final roll, these individuals will have to submit one of the 12 documents listed in the official notice.
Migration and Shifting Electorate
The data provides insights into population movement within the state. In Lucknow alone, of the 12 lakh names deleted from the draft rolls, around 5.3 lakh were voters who opted to shift their registration back to their native places. Another 4.2 lakh in the capital could not be traced.
An official noted that the high rate of "permanently shifted voters" in UP stands at 8.4%, nearly double that of Bihar's 4.6%. This trend, they said, aligns with a 2021 Down to Earth survey which pegged the migration rate for Uttar Pradesh at around 28.4%, twice as high as Bihar's 14.2%.
Process Extensions and Next Steps
The enumeration process faced delays, leading to two extensions of the original December 4 deadline—first to December 11 and then to December 26. This was done after authorities discovered a large number of eligible voters were missing from the initial draft.
"The publication date of draft rolls was fixed as December 31, but parallel fieldwork and the Election Commission of India's instructions to rationalise polling stations led to a delay," clarified CEO Rinwa. Despite the delays, the process for inclusion continues. During the enumeration phase, over 15.7 lakh people submitted Form 6 for new voter enrolment, and these names will be added if found valid.
Authorities will now process claims and objections until February 27 before finalising the electoral rolls. This period allows citizens to correct errors and ensure their franchise is secured for upcoming elections.
