Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday backed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, saying names of people who are not eligible to vote but have been included in voter lists must be identified and removed in accordance with the rules.
Adityanath said the exercise was important for keeping electoral rolls accurate and transparent. In a post on X, he linked the removal of illegally included ineligible names with the country’s security, unity and integrity and described the revision process as an effort to strengthen India’s democratic system.
The chief minister also highlighted the need to verify entries belonging to people who have died, permanently moved elsewhere or appear more than once on the electoral roll.
At the same time, Adityanath urged young people who have turned 18 to make sure their names are registered as voters. He called on citizens to participate in creating what he described as a clean, strong and transparent electoral roll.
His remarks come amid a continuing political dispute over the SIR exercise. Opposition parties, student organisations and civil society groups have raised concerns that the process could lead to eligible voters being removed from the rolls and have demanded the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The Election Commission has rejected allegations of wrongdoing and maintained that the electoral-roll revision is being conducted according to established procedures. Election authorities have also said the process contains mechanisms for eligible voters to submit documents and raise claims or objections.
With the SIR continuing to draw political attention, the debate remains centred on ensuring that voter lists are accurate while also protecting the right of every eligible citizen to remain registered.
