Akhilesh flags ‘irregularities’ in SIR with CEC, seeks ‘honest’ observers from other states

Lucknow, Dec 18 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday drew the attention of the chief election commissioner to alleged irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh, accusing local officials of issuing oral instructions in violation of Election Commission guidelines.

In a memorandum addressed to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Yadav demanded that all concerned officials be directed to ensure a fair and transparent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process and sought the appointment of “honest” officers from other states as observers in every district to monitor the exercise.

The memorandum claimed local authorities were instructing booth-level officers (BLOs) to delete the names of voters living abroad for employment or business purposes, even if their enumeration forms had been duly filled by them or by their adult family members.

Citing a specific case from Rampur district, Yadav said an FIR has been registered against an elderly woman, whose two sons work abroad, on charges of providing incorrect information.

Senior district officials are stating that citizens living abroad must fill Form 6A, which, Yadav claimed, is contrary to the Election Commission’s guidelines.

According to EC norms, Form 6A applies to Indian citizens residing abroad who have attained the age of 18 and are enrolling as new voters, Yadav said.

He also alleged that in some places, officials are claiming that the entire electoral roll is being treated as null and void and is being prepared afresh, and overseas citizens must be included only through Form 6A.

Yadav argued that if the voter list is being prepared afresh, citizens residing in India should also be required to apply through Form 6 instead of enumeration forms, as Form 6A is only an extension of Form 6 meant for new overseas voters.

All voters who are already enrolled and who have not renounced Indian citizenship should continue to be included through the normal process, Yadav said.

Pointing out that more than 1.5 crore Indian citizens live abroad for employment and business purposes, Yadav said there is no justification in removing such a large number of names from the electoral rolls.

The Samajwadi Party chief also claimed that the chief minister and the deputy chief ministers, during their district visits, are issuing directions to officials engaged in the SIR process for political gains, even though no role is envisaged for ministers in the exercise.

At the local level, Yadav claimed, officials are orally directing the BLOs to alter voter categories selectively so that names of voters supporting the ruling party are included smoothly, while opposition supporters are entangled in procedural complexities to reduce their numbers.

Yadav also alleged that minor discrepancies between the electoral rolls of 2003 and 2025 – such as the absence or presence of surnames like ‘Singh’, ‘Kumar’, ‘Ahmed’ or ‘Khan’ – are being selectively used to pressure officials to place certain names in Category ‘C’, while similar discrepancies in other cases are being ignored and voters included in Category ‘A’ through oral instructions.

Yadav urged the Election Commission to intervene promptly to prevent the “misuse” of the SIR process and to uphold the “integrity” of the electoral system. PTI ABN ARI