Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 23 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday responded to Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s remarks on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, stating that maintaining a transparent and accurate voter list is the responsibility of every citizen and emphasising that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is working diligently to ensure clarity in the process.
Speaking to reporters, Pathak said, “There should be a transparent list, which is the duty of every citizen, and the Election Commission is working in that direction…”
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Gaurav Vallabh also criticised Akhilesh Yadav and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that their objections to the SIR process are politically motivated and aimed at protecting their vote banks.
“This is the same thing that Tejashwi Yadav said 6 months before the election, as a result, they came down to 25 seats and now the same thing is being said by Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav. They will be confined to even fewer than 25 seats… There are no elections in Rajasthan, but the SIR process is going on there; in other states where there are no elections, SIR is also going on. These people are saying such things because the people who are being removed (from the voter list) are their vote banks and now they (Akhilesh Yadav) feel that their existence will be wiped out,” Vallabh told ANI.
Earlier on Saturday, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of attempting to eliminate at least 50,000 votes from constituencies where the INDIA bloc performed strongly in the 2024 elections.
“The most important point is that the BJP, its government, its officials, and the Election Commission are working together to cancel over 50,000 votes in the assembly constituencies where the Samajwadi Party and the INDIA Alliance won in 2024, using the pretext of SIR,” Akhilesh Yadav told reporters here.
He further alleged that similar plans are in place in West Bengal too, calling for people and parties to be vigilant.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will conduct the second phase of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across 12 states and union territories, with the final voter list to be published on February 7, 2026.
The first phase of the SIR was conducted in Bihar in September, ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.
The exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
According to the Election Commission, printing and training will take place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November 4 to December 4.
The Draft Electoral Rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objection period from December 9 to January 8, 2026.
The Notice Phase (for hearing and verification) will take place between December 9 and January 31, 2026, with publication of Final Electoral Rolls on February 7, 2026. (ANI)
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