UP SIR draft voter list out: 12.55 crore of 15.44 crore voters retained
Lucknow (PTI): The draft electoral roll for Uttar Pradesh was published on Tuesday after a special intensive revision (SIR) exercise, with 12.55 crore voters retained out of 15.44 crore listed earlier, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said on Tuesday.
The remaining 18.70 per cent, or about 2.89 crore voters, could not be included in the draft list due to deaths, permanent migration or multiple registrations, he said while addressing a press conference here.
Rinwa said the Election Commission had undertaken a door-to-door enumeration drive in which enumeration forms were to be filled out and signed by voters or their family members.
While the exercise was originally scheduled to end on December 11, the state sought an additional 15 days after noticing that the names of a large number of voters, nearly 2.97 crore, were getting excluded from the draft list. Consequently, the enumeration phase was extended till December 26.
According to the CEO, out of 15,44,30,092 voters in the October 27, 2025 electoral roll, enumeration forms were received for 12,55,56,025 voters, accounting for 81.30 per cent of the electorate.
Rinwa said December 31 was initially fixed as the publication date of the draft roll, but parallel fieldwork and ECI instructions to rationalise polling stations led to a delay.
"The Commission has capped voters per polling station at 1,200 instead of the earlier norm of 1,500. To meet this requirement, around 15,030 new polling stations were created across the state," he said, adding that approval for the exercise was received on December 23, and it took about a week for the data to be migrated to servers.
As a result, six more days were sought, and the draft roll was published on January 6.
Giving details about the removal of 2.89 crore names from the draft list, Rinwa said 46.23 lakh voters (2.99 per cent) were found to be deceased, while 2.57 crore voters (14.06 per cent) had either permanently migrated or were not available during the verification process.
Another 25.47 lakh voters (1.65 per cent) were found to be registered at more than one place.
"The draft electoral roll now contains 12.55 crore voters and covers all 75 districts and 403 assembly constituencies of the state," he said.
The exercise involved 1,72,486 booths, with booth-level officers working alongside volunteers to reach voters. Rinwa also acknowledged the support of political parties, saying 5,76,611 booth-level agents appointed by recognised parties assisted in the process.
The CEO said a one-month claims and objections period would begin on January 6 and continue till February 6, during which voters can seek inclusion, correction or raise objections to the draft roll.
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Delhi demolition drive violence: Portion of mosque's property razed, claims Owaisi
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday alleged that a portion of a Waqf-owned property of a mosque in Delhi was demolished and blamed the "black" Waqf (amendment) Act.
An anti-encroachment drive near the Faiz-e-Elahi mosque in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan area on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday triggered violence as many people hurled stones at police personnel amid a social media post claiming that the mosque, opposite the Turkman Gate, was being demolished.
Five police personnel were injured in stone pelting, prompting the police to lob tear gas shells.
"At 1:30 AM, the property of a mosque near Turkaman Gate was razed. It is a Waqf property as per a gazette notification of 1970. The demolition drive is just the beginning after passing the Waqf Act in Parliament. People should understand the happenings in the country and give a strong message to the ruling parties through their votes," Owaisi said while addressing a rally for Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar civic polls.
He alleged that the Delhi High Court had passed an incorrect order despite a Gazette notification issued in 1970 declaring the property as Waqf land.
"The High Court decided the title of the mosque when it had no right to do so. The Delhi Waqf Board also failed to take appropriate legal action by not filing a review petition," he said, adding that the matter would now be taken to the Supreme Court.
Owaisi further alleged that the Waqf Act, which he termed a "black law," was being used to seize Muslim religious properties.
"This law was made by PM Narendra Modi with the support of Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar, and Chandrababu Naidu. It is being used to snatch our mosques and graveyards. What happened in Delhi is only the beginning," he said.
He appealed to voters in Maharashtra to oppose Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar in the upcoming local body elections.
"People must vote against those responsible for this Act and stand with AIMIM if they want to protect their religious places," he said.
Speaking about constitutional values, Owaisi said the Preamble of the Constitution begins with “We, the people” and not “Bharat Mata.” Referring to the celebration of 150 years of Vande Mataram in Parliament, he said no one spoke about Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s emphasis on freedom of thought, faith, expression, and religion.
He also said that the preamble of our constitution starts with 'we the people' and not Bharat Mata.
Referring to the celebration of 150 years of Vande Mataram in Parliament, he said no one spoke about Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s emphasis on freedom of thought, faith, expression, and religion.
"Ambedkar wrote that this country belongs to everyone, but nobody stood up to say that," Owaisi said.
He also said that the Constitution permits Muslims to worship Allah.
"No Muslim MP said this in Parliament, but I did. I said we will say only ‘La ilaha illallah’. Others bowed their heads, but I did not compromise with the fundamentals of my religion or the Constitution," he added.
Maharashtra AIMIM president Imtiaz Jaleel, who also addressed the rally, said the party lost the previous Lok Sabha elections due to internal divisions.
"The same group is active again in the municipal elections. This time, we are fighting on two fronts — against our political opponents and against people from our own side," he said.
Referring to the recent attack on his car, Jaleel said, AIMIM would not be intimidated.
"Those involved in illegal businesses think they can scare us, but we completed the rally. The police must take action, and we are closely watching the case. We will not be afraid of those who have illegal businesses," he said.
Owaisi also commented on the incident, demanding strict action against those involved.
"I will visit that area in the next few days. I am not afraid. I always go where people challenge me,” he said.
