Muslim voters’ names, details allegedly altered in UP’s Pilibhit months before elections

Months before the UP-Assembly elections, it has been found that the names of a number of voters were altered in the electoral roll of the Pilibhit Assembly constituency, mostly those of Muslim voters, even after the SIR process.

Official records show that 13,779 Form 8 applications seeking corrections to voter details were entered between May 31 and August 29, 2026, of which 10,470 were approved despite the absence of physical forms or supporting documents, prompting the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to order legal action against two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), according to The Indian Express.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the CEO’s office said an inquiry conducted by the Pilibhit District Election Officer had established irregularities in all 10,470 approved entries.

An FIR has been registered against the two EROs and a computer assistant at the constituency’s Voter Registration Centre, following a complaint lodged by the Assistant District Election Officer, while the computer assistant’s services have been terminated.

Departmental proceedings have been initiated against both EROs, and an inquiry has also been ordered into the role of Assistant Electoral Registration Officers.

The authorities have begun rectifying the disputed entries, while the Pilibhit District Election Officer has been directed to scrutinise Form 6 applications for additions and Form 7 applications for deletions processed by the computer assistant between April 10 and October 21, with a detailed report sought by Friday.

The inquiry followed complaints that names displayed against Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers did not match those in the final electoral roll published on April 10, after the SIR exercise in Uttar Pradesh.

Advocate Faizan Ali Khan, a resident of Pilibhit, complained on October 14 that his name and that of his younger brother, Farhan, had disappeared from the electoral records despite their inclusion in the final roll.

He alleged that his EPIC number displayed the name Raees Ali, while his brother’s details showed Gufran Aslam, neither of whom belonged to their family. Khan also claimed that election officials had previously verified their documents and urged the authorities to investigate the changes.

Congress leader Kumud Gangwar said his party had mobilised 55 volunteers to examine electoral entries across the constituency, covering approximately 3.48 lakh voters, and identified 13,150 discrepancies. He alleged that many changes appeared to have been made late at night, on Sundays or during holidays, although these claims remain subject to verification.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress have alleged that Muslim voters were disproportionately affected, with the SP announcing plans to conduct similar checks in around 100 constituencies, while the Congress intends to verify electoral rolls across all 75 districts.

According to the SP and Congress leaders, Muslim voters accounted for a disproportionate share of those whose electoral details were allegedly altered.

The Opposition parties expressed concern that discrepancies in names and other particulars could leave affected voters vulnerable to being denied their voting rights during the forthcoming Assembly elections. However, the inquiry findings cited by the Chief Electoral Officer did not specify the religious identities of those affected.