Uttarakhand deletes 17 lakh names after SIR

The EC started a special inclusion drive on October 8 to identify eligible voters who were left out from the final list.

New Delhi: The deletion of more than 17 lakh names from Uttarakhand’s electoral rolls following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has opened a new political front ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections, with the accuracy of voter lists, the inclusion of eligible citizens and the mobilisation of supporters likely to become important issues for the state’s major political parties.

The final electoral roll published on October 3 lists 71,58,949 voters, compared with 84,29,459 on January 6, 2025. During the revision, 17,05,130 names were deleted and 4,01,276 voters were added, resulting in a net decline of approximately 12.71 lakh electors, or about 15 per cent of the earlier electorate. The figures have triggered questions about the reasons behind the reduction and its potential implications for the electoral contest.

The Election Commission has begun a special inclusion drive from October 8 to identify eligible voters who may have been left off the final list. Camps at polling stations and subsequent door-to-door verification are expected to help eligible citizens apply for enrolment, with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) playing a key role in identifying omissions.

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