Political activity has intensified across Uttar Pradesh as the assembly elections draw closer. Major political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, and the Congress, have stepped up their preparations and hit the campaign trail. Amid these preparations, a fresh controversy has erupted over the SIR of voter lists, sparking a fierce political debate in the state over whether Hindu voters' names have been deleted and Muslim voters' numbers have increased.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Makes Strong Claims
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has made a prominent statement regarding the SIR process. The Chief Minister asserted that the exercise has directly benefited Akhilesh Yadav. According to him, the proportion of Muslim voters in the state rose by 1.63 percent following the process, while nearly 1.27 million Hindu voters were dropped from the electoral rolls. He noted that a formal complaint has been lodged with the Election Commission, adding that Akhilesh Yadav would never complain about it because his vote bank has expanded.
Questions Raised Before the Election Commission
Elaborating on his assertions, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath questioned how such a massive number of Hindu voters could have their names deleted. He confirmed that the BJP has submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission demanding an explanation for the decline in Hindu voters. At the same time, he maintained that the SIR process remains necessary to weed out illegal infiltrators from the rolls.
- Muslim Voters: The proportion of Muslim voters in Uttar Pradesh reportedly increased by 1.63 percent following the revision.
- Hindu Voters: Approximately 1.27 crore Hindu voters were removed from the electoral lists during the exercise.
- Political Advantage: The Chief Minister alleged that the process has strengthened the vote bank of Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav.
- Formal Memorandum: The BJP has approached the Election Commission with a formal representation seeking answers regarding the deleted Hindu voters.
- Infiltrator Control: The state administration maintains that the verification drive is essential for removing illegal immigrants.
Akhilesh Yadav Hits Back at the Ruling Party
In response to these remarks, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav launched a sharp attack on the ruling party. He questioned how the Chief Minister came to know the exact figure of 1.27 crore Hindu voters whose names were allegedly cut, asking whether the Election Commission shares such detailed information directly with the government.
Akhilesh Yadav stated that those who have spent years intimidating the public by constantly raising the bogey of infiltrators are now themselves pointing out missing names. He alleged that such terminology was previously used to question people and strip them of their voting rights without inviting social backlash. Now that the Chief Minister has publicly claimed that millions of Hindu votes are missing from the lists, the opposition leader questioned the source and authenticity of such inside information.
Election Commission Announces Correction Drive
Amid the ongoing political friction, the Election Commission has announced measures to address discrepancies. Reports indicate that following the SIR process, around 5.5 million voters in Uttar Pradesh who are beneficiaries of various government welfare schemes found their names missing from the final electoral rolls. Additionally, roughly 6.6 million voters whose names appeared in the panchayat election lists were left out of the final voter lists.
To rectify these omissions, the Election Commission has stated that it will launch a special campaign to enroll eligible citizens whose names were left out, with assistance from various government departments. This campaign will be conducted as part of the Special Summary Revision-2027, with the qualifying date set for January 1, 2027. Instructions regarding this drive have already been issued to all district election officers across the state.
Shivpal Yadav Warns Party Cadre
The political atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh took another sharp turn as senior Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Yadav issued a stark warning to party workers during an event in Etawah on Sunday. Declaring the upcoming electoral battle as a do-or-die situation for the party, Shivpal cautioned workers against engaging in intimidation.
He explicitly warned that anyone issuing threats to others would face immediate expulsion from the party. Urging workers to refrain from issuing post-election retribution threats, he emphasized that their primary focus should be a united fight against conspirators rather than internal misconduct.
