Two Crore Voters Excluded in Uttar Pradesh, SDPI Calls for Urgent Review

Abdul Sathar, National Treasurer of the Social Democratic Party of India, has expressed deep concern over the recently concluded Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh, calling its scale and outcome alarming for Indian democracy. The final electoral roll stands at 13.39 crore voters, down from 15.44 crore when the rolls were frozen on October 27, 2025. This reflects the exclusion of over two crore voters, about 13.24 percent of the electorate, following a 166 day process across all 75 districts and 403 assembly constituencies. He said such a large scale exclusion raises serious questions about inclusivity and transparency in the electoral system.

He noted that the revision, conducted as part of a nationwide exercise, initially removed nearly 2.89 crore names by the time the draft roll was published on January 6, 2026, reducing the total to 12.55 crore. Among those excluded were individuals marked as shifted, deceased, or duplicate, while over one crore voters were flagged as non mapped and issued notices for verification. Abdul Sathar cautioned that such classifications often disproportionately affect poor and marginalized communities who lack stable documentation or permanent addresses.

He further stated that although over 70 lakh applications were filed for inclusion and more than 84 lakh names were added back after the claims and objections process, the overall exclusion remains significant. He stressed that procedural compliance does not ensure justice when vulnerable sections may be unable to navigate verification processes within limited timeframes.

Abdul Sathar emphasized that public confidence in the electoral process cannot rest solely on official assurances and must be strengthened through transparency and accountability. He warned that any exercise aimed at correcting electoral rolls should not result in the disenfranchisement of genuine voters. He called for a comprehensive and independent review of the entire revision process to ensure that no eligible citizen is excluded from their democratic right to vote.