28.9 million voter names missing in UP SIR; SP claims BJP to suffer major electoral setback

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh has been completed, revealing that the names of nearly 28.9 million voters were either unresponsive or failed to submit their enumeration forms.

The exercise has triggered strong political reactions, with the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) claiming that the large-scale deletion of voter names would severely impact the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2027 Assembly elections.

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SP president Akhilesh Yadav, while targeting the ruling party, said, “The Chief Minister himself claims that 85–90 per cent of his own voters have been cut. If 85 per cent are removed, it means a loss of around 61,000 votes in each assembly constituency. In such a situation, how can the BJP form a government? It will not even be able to reach double digits. The BJP leadership has dug a pit for itself and fallen into it.”

Although there were rumours that the deadline for submitting enumeration forms would be extended for a third time, the Election Commission of India (ECI) did not grant any further extension.

According to the official schedule, the draft electoral roll will be published on December 31. The period for filing claims and objections will run from December 31, 2025, to January 30, 2026. The disposal of claims and objections will take place between December 31, 2025, and February 21, 2026. The final electoral roll for Uttar Pradesh will be published on February 28, 2026.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa stated on Saturday, “Before the implementation of the SIR, there were a total of 154.4 million registered voters in the state. The first phase of enumeration and digitization was completed on December 26, and so far, 28.9 million voters have been found unresponsive. The final figures and draft list will be released on December 31.”

According to official sources, out of the total unresponsive voters, 12.6 million have permanently migrated outside Uttar Pradesh, 4.595 million have passed away, 2.332 million are duplicate entries, 8.42 million are untraceable, and 9.37 million voters did not submit their forms.

Sources further revealed that the 15-day extension granted for submitting enumeration forms resulted in the addition of approximately two lakh voters across the state.

Meanwhile, in the state capital Lucknow, prior to the SIR exercise, the district had around 39.85 lakh registered voters. After the revision, nearly 11 lakh names were excluded, leaving approximately 28.85 lakh voters currently listed in the electoral rolls.