UP CEO rejects report alleging addition of 16.18 lakh voters during SIR

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has dismissed a media report claiming that 16.18 lakh voters were added to the state's electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), clarifying that the figure represents Form-6 applications collected during the enumeration process and not voters who were automatically enrolled.

In a detailed post on X, the CEO said the report drew conclusions from “faulty assumptions” and maintained that the SIR was carried out in a transparent manner and in line with the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and the Election Commission of India (ECI)'s instructions.

The clarification was issued in response to an investigation by The Reporters’ Collective titled “The Mysterious 16.18 Lakh Voters Added to Uttar Pradesh’s Roll”. The investigation questioned the collection and subsequent processing of 16.18 lakh Form-6 applications during the SIR and raised concerns over the availability of details related to these applications. 

The CEO explained that the 16.18 lakh figure relates to Form-6 applications gathered before the draft electoral roll was published on January 6, 2026. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) collected the applications through door-to-door visits during the enumeration phase, which took place between October 27, 2025, and January 6, 2026.

Calling the allegations incorrect, the CEO said they were based on faulty assumptions and were therefore “categorically denied”.

Under the ECI's SIR guidelines, Form-6 applications were to be provided to and collected from eligible individuals whose names were absent from the electoral roll that was in force when the revision started on October 27, 2025, the CEO said.

The CEO also disputed the report's claim that the names of people who submitted the forms were not disclosed publicly. According to the clarification, only Form-6 applications submitted after the draft electoral roll was published on January 6 had to be included in Form-9, the list of claims, during the claims and objections period.

This list was made available on the CEO's website during the claims and objections period, the statement said. It added that the SIR process did not breach any provision of the law, rules or ECI instructions.

The CEO also rejected the report's suggestion that a fixed percentage was being followed while deciding how many Form-6 applications would be accepted.

The report's reference to a percentage-based acceptance of Form-6 applications was described as an arbitrary assumption without any logical basis, the CEO said. It clarified that there was no formula requiring applications to be approved according to a particular percentage.

Instead, applications were considered only after the prescribed procedure under the rules had been completed, the CEO said.

The CEO further maintained that political parties participated in the SIR process and that the exercise was open to scrutiny.

Reiterating its position, the CEO said the SIR in Uttar Pradesh was conducted according to law and was transparent and participatory, with the active involvement of political parties.

The CEO also said that no political party or individual had so far made similar allegations concerning the SIR conducted in Uttar Pradesh.