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UP voter lists: Software manipulates Voter’s names, Pilibhit investigation finds 10,470 irregular entries

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Software “translated” a voter Ramhit Yadav’s name into “Ram ne Yadav ko maara” in UP’s Legislative Council rolls! Separately, an inquiry found 10,470 irregular Pilibhit entries, while reports of duplicate IDs and deletion forms without reasons raise questions about scrutiny during and after SIR
Image: etvbharat.com

Uttar Pradesh’s electoral rolls are under close scrutiny over separate irregularities involving incorrect names, unsupported changes to voter details, duplicate voter IDs and deletion requests without recorded reasons. The latest developments concern a “translation error” in Legislative Council rolls and an official inquiry into changes made in Pilibhit after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Software translated names instead of transliterating them

A software error changed names into Hindi sentences in electoral rolls prepared for Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections. Instead of transliterating English names—writing their pronunciation in Hindi script—the software translated them.

Ramhit Yadav became “Ram ne Yadav ko maara”. Other unusual entries included “Ram ne Sharma ko maara”, while BCom appeared in a father’s-name field.

Authorities identified 158 unusual entries among 14, 81, 310 electors registered across graduates’ and teachers’ constituencies. Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa attributed several errors to software translation and others to human mistakes or inadequate scrutiny. Officials responsible for preparing and checking the records have been asked for explanations.

The examples circulated widely on social media. The errors concern Legislative Council electoral rolls and are separate from the changes investigated in Pilibhit’s Assembly electoral roll.

Pilibhit inquiry finds 10,470 irregular entries

In Pilibhit, an official inquiry found that changes to thousands of voter records had been entered without corresponding forms or records being available in the office. This followed a detailed investigation, first by Reporter’s Collective, nine days back on October 14, that may be read here.

Later other media chipped in and the investigations reported that the computer assistant at the constituency’s Voter Registration Centre entered 13,779 Form 8 applications for changes to voter details between May 31 and August 29, 2026. Of these, 10,470 were approved and 3,309 rejected. The inquiry found irregularities in all 10,470 approved entries.

These changes were entered after the final electoral roll was published on April 10 following SIR. Complaints arose when searches using voters’ Electoral Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers displayed other people’s names and family details.

An FIR has been registered against two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and the computer assistant only after INC spokesperson Supriya Srinate flagged the issue at a press conference in Lucknow on October 21. At an October 21 press conference, Congress leader Rajendra Pal Gautam alleged that 13,150 records had been altered while EPIC and serial numbers remained unchanged. He said voters who had checked their details in the April roll could remain unaware of subsequent changes.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate alleged that most affected voters were Muslim men. She cited Mohammad Yusuf, aged 33, whose EPIC number subsequently displayed Hasrat, also aged 33. The father’s name had changed from Rasital to Ramzan Ali. Another example concerned Mohammad Waseem, whose EPIC number allegedly displayed Sher Mohammad.

Shrinate said changes occurred in batches and questioned whether software had been used. Congress separately alleged that 884 existing residents had been removed and 2,600 people who did not live in the constituency had been added. These allegations were reported by The Wire

The party’s figure of 13,150 disputed records and the official finding of 10,470 irregular approved applications come from different examinations. The CEO’s statement does not provide a community-wise breakdown or establish political involvement.

CEO orders action and examination of additions and deletions

In its October 22 statement, the UP CEO’s office “ordered legal action” against the current and former EROs and the computer assistant under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). It also directed departmental proceedings against both officers, termination of the operator’s services and an inquiry into the role of Assistant EROs.

The CEO said the incorrect Form 8 entries were being corrected. The Pilibhit District Election Officer was also directed to examine all Form 6 applications for additions and Form 7 applications for deletions entered by the same operator between April 10 and October 21, and submit a detailed report within one day.

Earlier, the CEO had directed district election officers across Uttar Pradesh to review electoral rolls for similar discrepancies.

Are local EROs, the front face of the Election Commission of India (ECI) being made easy scapegoats in the massive Voter Manipulation Scam?

Voters found other people’s details against their EPIC numbers

Nine days later, the Indian Express reported that Advocate Faizan Ali Khan, a resident of Awas Vikas Colony in Pilibhit, complained on October 14 that his electoral record and that of his younger brother, Farhan, displayed different names. Both had appeared before election authorities during SIR and submitted documents that were verified.

Khan said his EPIC number displayed Raees Ali, with Huzaib Ali recorded as the relative, although his father’s name is Mushfiq Ali Khan. Farhan’s record displayed Gufran Aslam, son of Hamid Aslam. Khan said nobody by those names lived in their neighbourhood.

He alleged that the administration initially described the discrepancies as a technical error. He sought restoration of the correct details and an investigation into how verified records had changed after publication of the final roll. He also requested examination of Barkhera, Puranpur and Bisalpur, the district’s other Assembly constituencies.

Another advocate, Rehan Ali, found altered names against the EPIC numbers of his brother and sister. He said he checked his family’s records after overhearing a conversation between a voter and a computer operator. Further checks among neighbours revealed more discrepancies.

Local Congress leader Kumud Gangwar said a team of 55 people examined records covering approximately 3.48 lakh voters across the constituency and identified 13,150 entries with discrepancies. He alleged that many changes were made late at night, on holidays or on Sundays, as reported

Opposition alleges changes disproportionately affected Muslims

The Samajwadi Party submitted a complaint on October 12 about alleged duplicate voters in around 100 Assembly constituencies, including Pilibhit. Its state president, Shyam Lal Pal, submitted another complaint on October 19 about EPIC searches returning different people’s details.

One example concerned booth 409, where serial number 220 listed Ashik Ali, son of Mahmood Ali, aged 39. A search using his EPIC number reportedly displayed Khalil Khan, also aged 39.

Investigation reported deletion forms without reasons

An earlier investigation by The Reporters’ Collective, published on October 9 and corrected on October 20, reported that ERONET automatically generated 87,127 Form 7 deletion requests without recording reasons during Uttar Pradesh’s SIR.

The investigation examined more than 4.3 lakh Form 7 disclosures published on the UP CEO’s website. Approximately one-fifth were recorded in the names of EROs and Assistant EROs. All 87,127 requests in this category were filed between March 15 and April 2, 2026.

Four electoral officials interviewed for the report said that when they did not approve a voter during a hearing, the software automatically generated a Form 7 bearing their digital signature. The forms were then sent for approval.

The investigation questioned a process in which officers conducting hearings also became the recorded applicants for deletion. It said the forms contained no reasons, although the prescribed procedure required grounds for removal to be recorded.

The report also identified 1,10,476 requests submitted by individuals and accepted after what it described as the legally mandated deadline. Approximately 3.43 lakh requests from individual objectors specified reasons for seeking removal.

Officials described hearings before deletion forms

According to the investigation, the SIR enumeration exercise began on November 4, 2025. Of approximately 15.44 crore electors originally registered in Uttar Pradesh, 2.89 crore names were placed on the absent, shifted, dead or duplicate list.

At that stage, software-generated Form 7 requests required booth-level officers to specify a reason. The draft roll was published on January 6, 2026. Approximately 3.26 crore electors were separately flagged for logical discrepancies or because their records were unmapped, leading to hearings.

Officials interviewed for the investigation said the later officer-generated forms concerned voters who could not be verified during these hearings. They described hearings taking place first and deletion forms being generated afterwards.

The report said internal instructions required officers to record an explanation for removal following a notice issued on their own initiative. It argued that forms without reasons and objections submitted outside the prescribed period did not comply with the applicable procedure.

The final roll published on April 10 contained approximately 13.4 crore electors. Questions sent to the UP CEO and the ECI had received no response by the investigation’s original publication.

The October 20 correction increased the number of forms without reasons from 85,854 to 87,127. It clarified that 62 forms previously described as containing single-letter reasons, and 1,211 previously described as recording absent or shifted status, also contained no reason.

Repeated objections against Muslim voters

The same investigation reported that approximately 90% of deletion requests in Tarabganj and Pilibhit were directed against Muslim voters.

In Tarabganj, 188 objections appeared under the name Reshma, all filed on the same date against voters from the same booth. The published disclosures did not provide sufficient identifying information beyond objectors’ names to establish independently who submitted the applications.

These reported Form 7 patterns concern deletion requests during SIR. The later Pilibhit inquiry concerns Form 8 changes entered after the final roll was published.

The findings raise questions about how deletion requests without recorded reasons were generated and processed, why applications were accepted after the prescribed deadline, and whether objections disproportionately targeting Muslim voters were adequately examined. Alongside the separate post-SIR changes in Pilibhit, they underline the need to examine application records, software logs and approvals, establish responsibility and correct wrongful changes to voters’ records.

Demand for an independent forensic investigation

Former minister and SP leader Hemraj Verma has sought an independent cyber forensic investigation into the Pilibhit changes. He requested comparison of old and new names, addresses, photographs and other details, examination of the database audit trail, and a booth-wise assessment of affected voters.

Verma separately alleged that errors affected approximately 25,000 Muslim voters and accused sitting BJP MLA and minister Sanjay Singh Gangwar of directing the changes through officials and computer experts. These remain allegations. The supplied report recorded no response from Gangwar at the time of publication.

Gangwar won the Pilibhit Assembly seat in 2022 by 6,970 votes against the SP’s Shailendra Gangwar. The changes now under investigation occurred in 2026.

SP spokesperson Udaiveer Singh said the party planned checks in around 100 Assembly constituencies. Congress leader Aradhana Mishra said the party would ask all 75 District Congress Committees to verify local electoral rolls.

BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi said political parties should participate in scrutiny during revision. He added that deliberate changes should be investigated and action taken against those responsible.

In a post on X, Shrinate demanded that SIR be scrapped and questioned Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s accountability following action against local officials.

Couple allegedly received five voter IDs after applying for inclusion

Separate complaints concern multiple EPIC numbers issued to the same people after SIR.

In an October 19 post, fact-checker Mohammed Zubair alleged that a couple whose names were absent from the draft electoral roll applied for inclusion through Form 6. In the final roll, the wife received three voter IDs and the husband two.

Zubair said he could locate only one Form 6 application for each spouse in the published records on the UP CEO’s website. He asked the CEO to explain how those applications resulted in multiple IDs.

Another disclosure concerned House 91 in Chachoi, where six people—Ankit, Sumit, Karan, Aakash Kumar, Rajkumar Singh and Vikas Singh—were alleged to have received two EPIC numbers each. One of Vikas Singh’s records reportedly identified him as female.

The disclosure alleged that 17 people at the booth received two IDs each, accounting for 34 of its 69 new entries. The person examining the records said only one Form 6 application for each of the six named people had been located and several Form 9 disclosures remained unavailable.

These complaints require examination of the applications and approvals alongside the final electoral roll entries.

CEO disputes account of applications; AltNews questions verification

In a separate exchange on October 18, the UP CEO challenged Altnews’ Zubair’s account of a voter receiving four EPIC cards. The CEO said the claim that the voter had submitted only two applications was false and stated that four applications had been submitted.

In his response, Zubair argued that processing repeated applications in the same person’s name exposed a verification failure. He asked how four applications could pass scrutiny and result in four different EPIC numbers.

He also cited Form 9 records showing applications by Sundar on January 6 and January 14 and requested publication of missing disclosures. Zubair said eliminating duplicate entries was one of SIR’s stated objectives and questioned why such cases remained after publication of the final roll.

Related:

Who controls access to voter records? ECINet audit raises fresh questions

Vote for Democracy seeks answers from ECI and TCS on ECI’s electoral database access and security

Barricades and detentions fail to stop Delhi protesters marching against CEC

Protest Denied, Dissent Policed: India’s crackdown on those challenging the Election Commission

 

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