Controversy erupts over removal of 1.27 crore Hindu names from voter list in UP
The Chief Minister stated that approximately 1.27 crore Hindu voters are missing from the Election Commission's list.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently claimed in an interview that there has been an increase of 1.27 crore in the state's voter list and a 1.65 percent rise in Muslim voters after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. According to the Chief Minister, approximately 66 lakh voters who are registered in the panchayat voter list are missing from the assembly voter list, and 55 lakh voters who have availed state services are absent from the voter list.
The state government has submitted a memorandum to the State Election Commission, seeking clarification and requesting the inclusion of missing voters in the voter list.
Position on Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
Despite this, the Chief Minister defended the SIR process and dismissed the opposition's allegations of electoral fraud as a farce. He further stated that the lists should be improved to make the electoral process free and fair, and names of 'foreign infiltrators' should be removed from the voter lists, adding that Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav will not raise his voice on this issue due to the increase in the number of Muslim voters in the state assembly's voter list.
Response from the Samajwadi Party:
Akhilesh Yadav has questioned the process through which Yogi Adityanath obtained the voter list based on religion and stated that the Election Commission should issue EPIC cards and confirm through fingerprint and iris biometrics that no illegal voter can cast a vote in the elections.
The Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh, Navdeep Rinwa, stated on November 9, 2026, that they will answer all questions related to SIR on November 17, 2026, after the draft roll is released.
He wrote on X -
When 'your' feet were torn, only then did the pain of others become clear
Chief Minister, if you truly believe that 1.27 crore votes have been cut, then please repost this from your official handle. If there is no objection, using a few Urdu words, we would like to say to you:
Now, there is no difference between you and us
Neither in any complaint, nor in your and our sorrow!
These statements have come amid nationwide protests against the alleged mismanagement and mischievous actions of the Election Commission in recent elections and its role in the ongoing SIR process.
As elections are set to take place in the state in the coming months, these statements are subject to public scrutiny, whether they are a legitimate concern or merely an electoral tactic by the incumbent Chief Minister.
It has been a dangerous narrative established by the ruling party for years that the Muslim community in India has infiltrated and negatively impacts electoral voting for the Bharatiya Janata Party, also putting pressure on the nation's resources. With this line of accusations, the Bharatiya Janata Party has attempted to exclude the names of the Muslim community from the voter list, thereby creating divisions and tensions in society and damaging the social fabric.
It is hoped that the courts will intervene in such matters and urge leaders not to make such irresponsible statements, and that the national media will also fulfill its duty to promote public harmony.
In the coming months, it will be noteworthy to see if all necessary actions are taken in this regard and how this issue emerges in light of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
The right to vote, whether it is a legal, constitutional, or fundamental right, is a matter for jurists to consider, but what is certain is that it is the foundation of the framework we call democracy, and voters should not be deprived of that process by any political maneuvering through which they choose a government that will work towards a better future for society, and if they fail to fulfill the promises made in their electoral manifestos, voters should have the power to change them.