Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 7 : Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh Navdeep Rinwa on Wednesday claimed that there was no error from the side of the BLO (Booth Level Officer) in removing the name of the Congress leader Gurdeep Singh Sappal and his family member from the draft SIR voter list. The Uttar Pradesh CEO's response came after Sappal claimed that his and his family members' names were removed from the voter list solely because they had shifted from the Sahibabad Assembly Constituency in Uttar Pradesh to the Noida Assembly Constituency.
Navdeep Rinwa, via the official X handle of "CEO Uttar Pradesh", said the leader was correct in explaining the reason for removing names from the voter list. He further directed him and his family members to complete Form 6 to have their names added to the voter list for the Noida district.
The X post said, "Thank you, Mr Gurdeep. In your post, you also correctly explained why your and your family members' names were removed from the voter list, stating that you have moved from Ghaziabad to Noida. The BLO has correctly removed your name from the voter list for the Ghaziabad district. You and your family members should complete Form 6 to have your names added to the voter list for the Noida district. Just as you can fill out Form 6, other people in a situation similar to yours can also fill out Form 6, and they should do so. @ECISVEEP @gurdeepsappal"
https://x.com/ceoup/status/2008620968227598573
The backdrop to the response was an X post by Congress leader Gurdeep Singh Sappal, who, after the publication of the draft SIR voter list for Uttar Pradesh, found his and his family members' names missing. He stated that the names were included in the 2003 voter list, the names were also included in the voter list of the last election, and that his parents' names were included in the 2003 voter list. He also mentioned that all necessary documents had been submitted in accordance with the Election Commission's rules. He claimed that, despite his political background and having worked closely with the Election Commission multiple times on SIR and other issues, his and his family members' names were removed from the voter list.
His X post stated, "The draft SIR voter list of Uttar Pradesh has been published. My name and my family's name are missing from it. Whereas: Our names were included in the 2003 voter list. Our names were also included in the voter list of the last election. Our parents' names were also included in the 2003 voter list. We also submitted the necessary documents in accordance with the Election Commission's rules. We have a passport, birth certificate, Aadhaar, bank account, property papers, 10th certificate--everything. I was the Joint Secretary in the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, alongside the Vice President of India. Additionally, I am a member of the Congress's supreme committee, CWC. Not only that, I have been part of the Congress delegation in the Election Commission multiple times on SIR and other issues. The BLOs know all this as well. But still, our names have been removed from the draft list!"
https://x.com/gurdeepsappal/status/2008468321080144007
The Congress leader cited the transfer of the house from the Sahibabad Assembly Constituency in Uttar Pradesh to the Noida Assembly Constituency as the reason for the deletion of the names. According to him, the officials said, "There is no provision to retain the names of voters who have shifted in SIR." Thus, he claimed that if any voter had changed their address to a new area, their name might have been removed from the voter list. He expressed concern about the process of SIR, higlighting that, even though he might be able to fill out a new Form 6 and have his family's names added back, the process would create undue difficulty for ordinary voters.
"Reason: We had shifted our house from the Sahibabad Assembly Constituency in Uttar Pradesh to the Noida Assembly Constituency. We were told there is no provision to retain the names of voters who have shifted in SIR. This means that if any voter has moved to a new area, their name has been removed from the voter list. There are crores of genuine voters like me. I might perhaps fill out a new Form 6 and get my family's names added back, but how many people will be able to do that? This is the truth of SIR!", he said.
According to UP CEO Navdeep Rinwa, on October 27, there were 39,94,535 electors in the city, while on January 5, the number was reduced to 27,94,397.
On Tuesday, Navdeep Rinwa announced the publication of the draft electoral roll after the completion of the Enumeration Phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state. A total of 2.89 crore names were deleted from the draft voter list.
Addressing the press, Navdeep Rinwa said, "The number of enumeration forms we received was approximately 12 crore, 55 lakh. This means that this many people returned signed forms, indicating their names should be included in the draft list. There were 46.23 lakh such deceased voters. There are 2.17 crore voters who have migrated, those who have shifted from their place of residence, who have left the house where they were residing when they registered their name in the voter list, and have permanently moved, or are missing or absent, or could not be found by the BLOs in the field. There were 25.47 lakh voters whose names were registered in more than one place on the voter list. In total, 2.89 crore names were not included in the draft voter list."
As per the SIR Order, the Draft Electoral Roll has been published on January 6, 2026. Printed and digital booth-wise copies have been provided to all recognised Political Parties and also made available on the CEO's website (ceouttarpradesh.nic.in).
The claims and objections period runs from January 6, 2026, to February 6, 2026. Any existing or prospective elector may file claims or objections for inclusion of eligible electors or deletion of ineligible names.
A total of 403 EROs and 2042 AEROs are in position to scrutinise such cases by February 27, 2026. In addition, Additional AEROs have been notified, as required, to dispose of the claims and objections within the prescribed time limit.