As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Uttar Pradesh concluded on Friday, approximately 19% of the total voters, amounting to 2.89 crore, have been categorized as "uncollectable". This was announced as the enumeration phase ended on December 26, 2025. The final voter list is slated for release by February 28, 2026.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) had initiated the SIR exercise on November 4, 2025, to update and purify the electoral rolls. Booth level officers (BLOs) distributed enumeration forms to 15.43 crore (99.97%) voters out of the 15.44 crore enrolled in Uttar Pradesh. The ECI extended the SIR deadline, initially set for December 4th, twice, eventually to December 26th, to ensure thorough verification.
According to the ECI, the 2.89 crore "uncollectable" voters include those who are absent, deceased, duplicate, permanently shifted, or untraceable. Specifically, among these voters, 1.26 crore are categorized as migrants, 46 lakh as deceased, 23.70 lakh as duplicates, and 83.73 lakh as absent. Additionally, 9.57 lakh fall into other categories.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh, Navdeep Rinwa, stated that the draft voter list will be published on December 31, 2025. From December 31, 2025, to January 30, 2026, the public can raise claims and objections regarding the draft voter list. The disposal of these claims and objections will occur between December 31, 2025, and February 21, 2026.
The CEO noted that digitization of 99.24% of enumeration forms had been completed. While 80.29% of enumeration forms were received back with signatures, approximately 19% were marked as non-returnable due to various reasons like death, permanent transfer, or duplication.
The Election Commission will send notices to approximately 1.11 crore individuals, giving them an opportunity to provide proof of their eligibility as voters. The commission has ordered all District Magistrates (DMs) to release the draft voter list with caution and maintain full transparency in handling claims and objections.
The percentage of potentially deleted voters is notably high in urban areas, including Ghaziabad (36.67%), Lucknow (30.88%), Kanpur Nagar (25.62%), Prayagraj (25.31%), Meerut (25.21%), and Agra (23.57%). In Lucknow district, a substantial number of voters, ranging from 900,000 to 1.1 million, might be removed from the rolls.
The voter revision process for the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat elections 2026 is also underway, with a final voter list expected by February 6. This revision has added nearly four million new voters.
Authorities encourage voters to check their details on the draft list and file necessary corrections. Eligible voters can verify their information on the official website and submit forms for inclusion, deletion, or correction of details. The ECI urges new electors to fill out Form 6 and submit it online or to BLOs to ensure their inclusion in the final electoral rolls.
