Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa has finally ordered a state-wide audit of voter registration, deletion and correction entries processed by computer assistants since April 10, when the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ended. The decision follows irregularities reported in Pilibhit and Azamgarh and brings changes made after the revision under scrutiny ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
That the instructions covering Forms 6, 7 and 8 across the state’s 403 Assembly constituencies. Form 6 concerns registration of new voters, Form 7 objections to inclusion or deletion, and Form 8 corrections and other specified changes.
What the statewide audit will examine
According to the Hindustan Times, as per instructions the election officials must scrutinise additions, deletions and amendments entered by computer assistants after April 10. It reported that the ECI had not released a consolidated account of the names added or deleted during this period.
The moot question that remains, however, is whether the audit trail –of who filed which form applications, who scrutinised and took what decisions (Vis a Vis Forms 6, 7 and 8) will be made public? More pertinently will there be a prosecution of the officials involved?
At an October 24 virtual meeting, Rinwa directed divisional commissioners, designated electoral roll observers, to supervise the work. District election officers must oversee the officials preparing the rolls.
Computer assistants have been barred from entering applications received physically. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) must digitise them through the BLO App, while the original documents must be preserved. Electoral Registration Officers have been instructed to review pending Forms 6, 7 and 8 daily. There is silence from the poll body however on whether they will be made public as the law demands!
“All entries must be verified to prevent a recurrence of a Pilibhit incident,” Rinwa said, according to the report. He also directed officials to ensure that the draft roll for the forthcoming Special Summary Revision was free of duplicate entries.
The instructions include protecting ERONET login credentials, changing passwords and addressing complaints received since April 10 through grievance portals, social media and other channels. District election officers in Bulandshahr, Sitapur, Ghaziabad and Aligarh were criticised for delayed reports on alleged duplicate voters.
However, the Commission also issued a November 12 deadline for publication of the forthcoming draft roll. Requests under the “Book a Call with BLO” service must not remain pending beyond 48 hours, and BLOs must contact voters before marking themselves unavailable.
Pilibhit: 10,470 approved changes found irregular
The immediate concern is Pilibhit, where an inquiry found irregularities in 10,470 approved changes to voter records after publication of the final SIR roll.
An FIR was registered on October 22 against two Electoral Registration Officers and a computer operator. The case concerns 13,779 Form 8 entries made between May 31 and August 29, 10,470 were approved and 3,309 rejected. No corresponding application forms or supporting records were found in the office.
“This is not an error or negligence. This is a crime. It was done deliberately,” Rinwa told The Times of India.
That the FIR invoked Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Section 201 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Rinwa said the operator entered applications without receiving them from voters and the officers approved them. These are the authorities’ findings and allegations underlying the proceedings; criminal responsibility remains for the legal process to determine.
Officials and applicants face different provisions
Rinwa has warned that Electoral Registration Officers, Assistant Electoral Registration Officers and computer assistants could face action under Section 32 for irregularities. District election officers could also be held responsible for inadequate supervision, according to the audit reports.
Separately, the CEO’s office issued an October 17 statement on Form 7, warning against knowingly false statements or declarations. It cited Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which provides for imprisonment of up to one year, a fine, or both.
कार्यालय मुख्य निर्वाचन अधिकारी, उत्तर प्रदेश
(प्रेस विज्ञप्ति)
फार्म-7 में जानबूझकर झूठा कथन या मिथ्या घोषणा करने पर एक वर्ष तक के कारावास अथवा जुर्माने या दोनों से दंडित करने का प्रावधान
लखनऊ, 17 अक्टूबर, 2026
प्रदेश के समस्त जिला निर्वाचन अधिकारियों एवं निर्वाचक रजिस्ट्रीकरण अधिकारियों को फार्म-7 के माध्यम से दाखिल किए जाने वाले आवेदनों के संबंध में भारत निर्वाचन आयोग द्वारा जारी दिशा-निर्देशों का कड़ाई से अनुपालन सुनिश्चित करने के निर्देश दिए गए हैं।
लोक प्रतिनिधित्व अधिनियम, 1950 की धारा-31 के अनुसार मतदाता सूची की तैयारी, पुनरीक्षण अथवा शुद्धि या किसी प्रविष्टि को मतदाता सूची में शामिल करने अथवा हटाने के संबंध में जानबूझकर मिथ्या कथन या घोषणा लिखित रूप में करना दंडनीय अपराध है। इसके लिए दोषी व्यक्ति को एक वर्ष तक के कारावास अथवा जुर्माने या दोनों से दंडित किए जाने का प्रावधान है।
फार्म-7 में भी आवेदक से इस संबंध में निर्धारित घोषणा प्राप्त की जाती है। यदि निर्वाचक रजिस्ट्रीकरण अधिकारी की जांच में फार्म-7 के माध्यम से की गई आपत्ति मिथ्या पाई जाती है, तो संबंधित आवेदक के विरुद्ध लोक प्रतिनिधित्व अधिनियम, 1950 की धारा-31 के अंतर्गत नियमानुसार कार्रवाई की जाएगी।
भारत निर्वाचन आयोग के दिनांक 09 अक्टूबर, 2026 के निर्देशों के क्रम में सभी संबंधित अधिकारियों को निर्देशित किया गया है कि फार्म-7 के माध्यम से प्राप्त आपत्तियों की जाँच एवं निस्तारण नियमानुसार किया जाए तथा मिथ्या या मनगढ़ंत आपत्ति पाए जाने पर विधिक प्रावधानों के अनुरूप कार्रवाई सुनिश्चित की जाए।
यह भी निर्देश दिए गए हैं कि इन विधिक प्रावधानों एवं आयोग के दिशा-निर्देशों का प्रिंट मीडिया, इलेक्ट्रॉनिक मीडिया, सोशल मीडिया तथा अन्य माध्यमों से व्यापक प्रचार-प्रसार किया जाए, ताकि आमजन को फार्म-7 दाखिल करते समय सही एवं तथ्यपरक जानकारी देने तथा मिथ्या घोषणा करने के विधिक परिणामों के प्रति जागरूक किया जा सके।
@ECISVEEP
@SpokespersonECI
@ANINewsUP
@PTI_News
@ians_india
@DDNewsUP
@AIRNewsHindi— CEO Uttar Pradesh (@ceoup) October 17, 2026
The statement directed officials to investigate objections according to the rules and act against false or fabricated claims. The two provisions concern different conduct: knowingly false declarations by applicants and breaches of official duty connected with electoral rolls.
Why close election margins matter
An October 25 analysis by Omar Rashid in The Wire explains the electoral significance of these discrepancies. Pilibhit’s 10,470 irregular entries exceed the BJP’s 2022 victory margin there of 6,970 votes.
Rashid found that 43 of the 100 constituencies flagged by the Samajwadi Party included seats the party narrowly won or lost in 2022. Across Uttar Pradesh, 170 seats were decided by margins of 15,000 votes or fewer; 124 had margins below 10,000, and 53 below 5,000.
Samajwadi Party has identified 100 seats where lakhs of duplicate voters–with a voter registered twice, thrice, and even 5 times–exist.
How many of these seats did the SP/BJP win or lose by a thin margin in 2022?
To know more, read my story 👇
https://t.co/5DJYSdP9cK https://t.co/eW09GaKaye
— Omar Rashid (@omar7rashid) October 25, 2026
Survey predictions cannot answer questions about the rolls
An analysis attributed to NDTV in a circulating social media post places the Samajwadi Party ahead in 183 Assembly segments, Congress in 40 and the BJP in 162, based on Uttar Pradesh’s 2024 Lok Sabha voting patterns. The post presents the combined SP–Congress tally of 223, above the Assembly majority mark of 202, as an encouraging sign for the alliance ahead of 2027.
This is a breakdown of past results rather than a fresh opinion survey.
Co-Convenor, Vote for Democracy, Teesta Setalvad has been questioning whether the UP Vidhan Sabha polls, or any polls post the exposes of past months can be held on the faulty SIR list at all. VFD has argued that not only must the SIR be scrapped but there must be a reversion to the 2024 Lok Sabha Rolls along with the First-Time Voter enrolment post 2024.
Wait. This could be a ploy to shift demands away from #ScrapSIR and #Revertto2024 Rolls. There is NO WAY @yadavakhilesh @samajwadiparty can win on these rolls. Remember #WestBengal. NEVER FORGET WHO OWNS #NDTV @RahulGandhi
— Teesta Setalvad (@TeestaSetalvad) October 25, 2026
Congress and SP seek wider scrutiny
Congress raised the Pilibhit issue on October 21, alleging that the names of 13,150 voters had changed while their EPIC and serial numbers remained unchanged. That allegation must be distinguished from the subsequent official finding concerning 10,470 irregular approved Form 8 entries. Congress leaders sought an investigation into the SIR process and warned that mismatched identities could prevent otherwise eligible voters from exercising their franchise.
The Samajwadi Party has also submitted complaints about duplicate registrations and voter identity mismatches. In Azamgarh, an official inquiry found the name “Vikas Yadav” recorded at 13 places in Hindi in the electoral roll, following complaints raised by the party. Action was initiated against electoral officials. That finding should not be presented as proof that one person cast 13 votes, as The Wire reported.
Agra re-poll follows complaints about MLC voting
Separate concerns arose during the October 23 Legislative Council elections. SP state president Shyam Lal Pal sought action over alleged booth capturing and irregularities in Amroha, Agra, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Gorakhpur and other districts.
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: On the recommendation for repolling at three polling booths following the Uttar Pradesh MLC election in the Agra, Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa says, “The Returning Officer has recommended repolling at three polling booths, Saiyan, Fatehabad and Kheragarh. We have sent the recommendation to the Election Commission. We will proceed according to the Commission’s decision. When the candidates’ video surfaced, we personally spoke to them and asked about their concerns. They had submitted the names of five polling booths in writing, and we got all of them investigated. During the investigation, three polling stations were found to have grounds for a possible repoll, while the other two did not…”
— IANS (@ians_india) October 24, 2026
The party demanded examination of polling-station videos, fresh voting were warranted and FIRs against those responsible. It alleged that ruling-party representatives influenced voting and that earlier complaints had not received adequate action. These remain party allegations.
The ECI subsequently declared polling at three stations—20, 21 and 26—in the Agra Division Teachers’ Constituency void, fixing October 26 for fresh voting between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The stations were at Kheragarh, Saiya and Fatehabad. SP candidate Akash Agarwal had alleged harassment of supporters and irregularities during voting.
‘Thank god Ram didn’t hit a minority’: UP CEO’s communal reply
Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)’s official X handle on October 16, sarcastic response to errors in voter slips has triggered a political controversy, with question over the impartiality and conduct of the state’s top election official through official social media handle.
The controversy began after a voter’s name, “Ramhit Yadav”, was incorrectly rendered as “Ram ne Yadav ko Maara” in the electoral records.
The CEO acknowledged the mistake and cited another incorrect entry, “Ram ne Sharma ko Maara”, in the voter list for recent Legislative Council elections. However, his remark that it was fortunate that “Ram did not hit a minority”,
हालिया विधान परिषद के चुनाव की मतदाता सूची में एक अजीबोगरीब नाम “राम ने शर्मा को मारा” भी है। कंप्यूटर/सॉफ्टवेयर जातिवादी नहीं है। हमारे द्वारा गलती किया जाना स्वीकार है लेकिन हमारे सौभाग्य से गलती होते समय भी जाति का भेदभाव नहीं हुआ है। भगवान का यह भी शुक्र है की राम ने किसी अल्पसंख्यक को नहीं मारा है। नहीं तो जातिवादी होने के साथ-साथ सांप्रदायिक होने का इल्ज़ाम भी लगता।
— CEO Uttar Pradesh (@ceoup) October 25, 2026
AAP questions CEO’s conduct and electoral impartiality
Reacting to the CEO’s remarks, Sanjay Singh called his language deeply communal and questioned whether free and fair elections could be conducted in Uttar Pradesh under an official making such statements. Singh announced that AAP would respond to the CEO at a press conference at 3 p.m. at the party’s office. He also alleged that the Election Commission’s handling of voter-list errors raised serious concerns and said the party would not allow alleged attempts to manipulate electoral rolls to help the BJP succeed. These are allegations made by Singh; the controversy over the erroneous entries, by itself, does not establish that the voter list was manipulated to favour any political party.
AAP कार्यालय पर आज 3 बजे प्रेस वार्ता कर CEO का जवाब देंगे।
CEO उत्तर प्रदेश की भाषा एक चिरकुट घोर सांप्रदायिक व्यक्ति की भाषा है।
क्या ऐसे व्यक्ति के रहते हुए यू पी में निष्पक्ष चुनाव संभव है?
CEO जी वोटर लिस्ट में हेर फेर करके BJP को चुनाव जीताने की मंशा सफल नही होने देंगे।— Sanjay Singh AAP (@SanjayAzadSln) October 26, 2026
However, while the state-wide audit is an important step, this course correction has clearly happened under compulsion. UP’s State Election Commission must go beyond internal checks. With irregularities reported in voter records and complaints raised by opposition parties, the Election Commission must ensure that every addition, deletion and correction is properly verified and that the findings are made public.
Electoral Rolls too need to be the pre-SIR ones. Public confidence in the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election will depend on a transparent process that protects every eligible voter’s right to vote.
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