Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa has issued a stern directive to election officials across the state to identify and remove all duplicate entries from the electoral rolls. The exercise is aimed at ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the voter list as the state gears up for the 2027 Assembly elections. During a virtual meeting with district election officers and electoral registration officers on Monday, the CEO emphasized that any negligence in this process would result in strict accountability for the responsible officials.
The move follows growing public scrutiny regarding the issuance of multiple Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) to the same individual. The CEO's office clarified that such instances occur when a single person submits multiple registration applications. While acknowledging the technical possibility of these duplicates, the office noted that systematic deduplication is already being carried out via the ECINET platform. Furthermore, authorities are working toward implementing a system that catches repeated applications at the initial submission stage, a goal the office expects to achieve in the near future.
As part of the current cleanup, booth-level officers (BLOs) have been instructed to rigorously identify voters who have submitted multiple forms during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. These cases are to be resolved according to established electoral procedures, which includes the use of Form 7 to formally request the deletion of redundant entries. Electoral registration officers and their assistants have been tasked with monitoring this progress to ensure that all discrepancies are rectified before the official draft rolls are published on November 12.
The directive also addressed the need for better procedural compliance among staff. CEO Rinwa has instructed that all booth-level officers undergo training on updates and procedural changes within the ERO-Net system. By streamlining these administrative workflows, the commission intends to eliminate errors that might otherwise compromise the fairness of the upcoming polls. The oversight is expected to remain high, with supervisors tasked to verify the work performed at the booth level regularly.
Beyond the deletion of duplicate records, the Election Commission of India is actively working to expand the voter base through outreach. Special registration camps have been organized across all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh, with sessions held on October 17 and October 24. These camps are specifically designed to capture data for eligible citizens who may have been omitted from the current lists, with a particular focus on enrolling first-time voters.
The CEO has urged officials to coordinate closely with various stakeholders to maximize the effectiveness of these registration efforts. This includes collaboration with municipal councillors, village heads, government departments, and various voluntary organizations. By engaging with these local entities, the Election Commission hopes to ensure that the electoral rolls are not only free of duplicates but are also comprehensive and inclusive.
The push for accurate electoral rolls comes at a time when transparency in the voter registration process has become a subject of public debate. The office of the CEO has reiterated its commitment to resolving these issues promptly. With the draft publication date of November 12 approaching, the success of the current administrative efforts will be critical in determining the state's preparedness for the 2027 electoral cycle. The focus remains on maintaining a clean and verifiable database for all eligible residents of Uttar Pradesh.
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