UP draft electoral roll published, 2.89 crore names deleted in SIR

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Election Officer, Navdeep Rinwa , on Tuesday announced the publication of the draft electoral roll following the conclusion of the Enumeration Phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). During the intensive exercise, a total of 2.89 crore names were deleted from the draft voter list, reducing the electorate from 15.44 crore to approximately 12.55 crore. The deletions include 46.23 lakh deceased voters , migrants who have permanently shifted, untraceable electors, and duplicate entries identified during a thorough house-to-house verification conducted across all 75 districts of the state.

The SIR, which began on October 27, 2025, and whose enumeration phase ran from November 4 to December 26, involved the distribution of individual enumeration forms to all registered voters . Booth Level Officers visited households to deliver and collect these forms, making multiple visits to ensure no eligible voter was missed. Booth Level Agents appointed by political parties and volunteers also played an active role in assisting election officials and ensuring comprehensive coverage.

With the draft electoral roll now published, voters have a one-month window, from January 6 to February 6, 2026 , to raise claims for inclusion or objections to deletions. These claims will be scrutinised by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant EROs (AEROs) , with additional officers deployed as necessary. The final scrutiny is expected to be completed by February 27 , ahead of the publication of the final electoral roll.

The scale of deletions in Uttar Pradesh is the largest in the country so far . In comparison, West Bengal’s SIR exercise saw around 58 lakh names deleted, while Tamil Nadu recorded over 97 lakh deletions, including significant reductions in urban areas such as Chennai. While the deletions have drawn public attention, election officials emphasise that removal from the draft roll is not final and that the claims and objections process provides a transparent mechanism for eligible voters to ensure their names are included in the final electoral roll .

The SIR process in Uttar Pradesh underscores the Election Commission’s efforts to maintain accurate and updated electoral rolls , ensuring the inclusion of all eligible voters and the removal of ineligible entries , while providing transparency and opportunities for voter participation at every stage.