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The Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh by three months, citing large-scale irregularities in voter enumeration, missing voter lists, duplication of lists at polling stations and failure of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to distribute forms door-to-door in several constituencies.
In his letter to the Commission, Akhilesh Yadav highlighted several gaps and administrative lapses in the ongoing revision exercise. "Mr. Akhilesh Yadav, for a three-month extension for the S.I.R. process in Uttar Pradesh, and the complaints that BLOs in the 70-Ghosi Lok Sabha constituency and various assembly constituencies in Mau district were unable to go door-to-door to provide voter enumeration forms to voters, and that the 2003 voter list had not been uploaded at more than a dozen polling stations in the 271-Rudauli assembly constituency, and that polling stations 130 and 131 in the East Assembly constituency of Lucknow district had the same voter list, and that approximately 1,100 voters were missing from one polling station," the letter stated. Strengthening the case for an extension, the letter further stated, "The number of voters in 162,486 polling stations in 403 assembly constituencies is 154.43 million, and counting forms are not being delivered to all voters, preventing them from getting enough time to fill and submit them. Therefore, the SIR process should be extended by another three months so that all voter counting forms can be completed and submitted." On Saturday, Akhilesh Yadav also accused the Election Commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of allegedly misusing the SIR process. He claimed the two are working together to "cancel over 50,000 votes" in assembly constituencies where parties of the India bloc had secured victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Addressing a press conference, Akhilesh Yadav expressed concern about the EC and the BJP, particularly about the BJP's "targeting" of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal through SIR. "After the Bihar elections, we learn from newspapers, social media, and other sources that the BJP is preparing on an extensive level in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal in collaboration with the Election Commission. After the 2024 loss, the BJP and EC are targeting UP and West Bengal," Akhilesh Yadav said. (ANI)
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