Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has alleged that the names of around 1.27 crore Hindu voters are missing from the state's electoral rolls, triggering fresh questions over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. He has, however, dismissed the Opposition's allegations of irregularities in the process as propaganda.
Speaking at AajTak Panchayat in a conversation with Aaj Tak Senior Managing Editor Sweta Singh, Adityanath accused Opposition parties of questioning the credibility of elections whenever they suffer a defeat, either blaming Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) or the revision of electoral rolls.
"They only want to vitiate the atmosphere with their propaganda campaign. This is not the reality," he said.
The Chief Minister also challenged Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his criticism of the SIR exercise, asking why he had not demanded that the process be scrapped.
"Why does Akhilesh Yadav not demand that SIR be rolled back? It's because the number of Muslim voters in UP rolls has increased by 1.65 per cent. Whereas the names of approximately 1.27 crore Hindu voters are missing," he claimed.
Adityanath said the state government had submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission of India (ECI), seeking the inclusion of eligible voters whose names were absent from the electoral rolls.
Yogi questions discrepancy between voter lists
Explaining the basis of his allegation, Adityanath said the state government had compared the electoral rolls prepared for panchayat elections with those published by the ECI after the SIR exercise.
He questioned how people whose names appeared on the panchayat voter list were missing from the Election Commission's electoral rolls. He also maintained that the ECI was an independent constitutional body responsible for conducting the revision, and rejected suggestions that his government was interfering in the exercise.
The Chief Minister claimed that those allegedly left out included beneficiaries of government welfare schemes and young people aged 18 and 19. He said the government had no objection to removing the names of deceased voters but insisted that eligible electors must not be excluded.
"Approximately 46 lakh deceased voters should be removed, but the names of eligible voters should also be included in the list. The names of foreign infiltrators should be removed," he said.
Adityanath has previously cited specific categories to support his claim, including around 66 lakh people whose names appeared on panchayat electoral rolls but not on Assembly voter lists, 55 lakh beneficiaries of government welfare schemes and approximately 4.5 lakh young people in the 18-19 age group.
He has also urged BJP workers to help eligible voters get their names included in the electoral rolls by coordinating with Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
More than 2 crore names deleted after SIR
The Chief Minister's remarks come amid a major overhaul of Uttar Pradesh's electoral rolls ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
The ECI's final electoral roll, published on April 10 after the completion of the SIR exercise, recorded 13,39,84,792 voters. More than 2.04 crore names were deleted from the rolls, while 84.28 lakh new voters were added.
Before the revision began in October 2025, Uttar Pradesh had around 15.44 crore registered electors. The draft roll published in January 2026 had reduced the number to approximately 12.55 crore. The final list reflected a net addition of more than 84 lakh voters compared with that draft.
The deletions were concentrated largely in urban areas, with women accounting for a higher proportion of those removed. The final roll included around 7.3 crore male voters, 6.09 crore female voters and 4,206 third-gender electors.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa had said that names were not deleted without following due process. He explained that voters dissatisfied with decisions taken by Electoral Registration Officers could file a first appeal before the district magistrate within 15 days of the final roll's publication, followed by a second appeal before the Chief Electoral Officer within 30 days of the district magistrate's decision.
Fresh voter enrolment drive ahead of 2027 polls
The revision has remained a political flashpoint, with Opposition parties alleging that large-scale deletions could exclude legitimate voters. The BJP, meanwhile, has maintained that the exercise is necessary to ensure accurate electoral rolls.
The state is now preparing for a further voter enrolment drive through the Special Summary Revision (SSR). Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa has said Uttar Pradesh is aiming to add more than one crore voters by comparing Assembly electoral rolls with those maintained for panchayat and urban local body elections.
The next phase of the SSR is scheduled to begin on November 12, with claims and objections to be received until December 11. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on January 4, 2027.
With Assembly elections approaching, the alleged exclusion of voters and the process of adding eligible names are expected to remain key political issues in the state.