The recent Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Uttar Pradesh's electoral rolls has unveiled a startling reality: a massive disconnect between official records and the state's actual population. The exercise has identified a colossal 2.88 crore (28.8 million) voter registration forms as 'uncollectable', a number that underscores significant demographic shifts and administrative challenges.
Lucknow and Major Districts Top the Uncollectable List
In a revelation that points to rapid urban change, the state capital, Lucknow, finds itself at the top of this concerning tally. The district leads all 75 in Uttar Pradesh both in absolute numbers and percentage, with over 12 lakh (1.2 million) forms deemed uncollectable. This represents a staggering over 30% of its mapped voters.
Following Lucknow in terms of the percentage of lost voters is Ghaziabad at 28.8%, Balrampur (25.9%), Kanpur Nagar (25.5%), and Meerut (24.6%). When looking at absolute numbers, the districts with the highest counts after Lucknow are Prayagraj (11.5 lakh), Kanpur Nagar (9 lakh), Agra (8.3 lakh), and Ghaziabad (8.1 lakh).
Behind the Numbers: Permanently Shifted and Untraceable Voters
The 'uncollectable' category is a broad term that reveals deeper stories. Of the total 2.88 crore forms, the data current as of December 27 shows a clear trend of movement. A staggering 1.29 crore voters are classified as having 'permanently shifted'—a number larger than the entire population of over 120 countries. Additionally, over 79.52 lakh voters are marked as 'untraceable or absent'.
"These figures suggest a capital in flux, where rapid migration, urban resettlement, and outdated records have created a significant gap between the official roll and the reality on the ground," an official source from the poll body claimed.
Breakdown by Specific Categories
The SIR data provides a detailed breakdown of why voters are being removed from the rolls. The highest number of deletions under the 'death' category was from Prayagraj with 1.73 lakh, followed by Gorakhpur (1.32 lakh), Sitapur (1.29 lakh), Lucknow (1.28 lakh), and Bareilly (1.15 lakh). In total, 46.23 lakh voters were declared deceased in the revision.
The exercise also uncovered a significant issue of duplication. Under the 'already enrolled' category, the SIR found 25.47 lakh voters across UP who self-declared duplicate voter ID cards. Prayagraj again topped this list with 1.07 lakh such voters, followed by Bahraich (87,910), Gorakhpur (78,849), Jaunpur (72,760), and Kanpur Nagar (67,480).
Furthermore, more than 7.74 lakh voters did not return their signed SIR forms to their Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Lucknow had the highest such count at 59,313, followed by Meerut (43,334), Agra (43,167), Ghaziabad (42,801), and Kanpur Nagar (28,977).
The Scale of the Revision Exercise
The sheer magnitude of the SIR is evident from the fact that a total of 12.55 crore voters were mapped during the process. The maximum recording was in Prayagraj (35.3 lakh), followed by Azamgarh (31.4 lakh), Gorakhpur (30.2 lakh), Jaunpur (29.8 lakh), Lucknow (27.9 lakh), and Agra (27.6 lakh).
The data paints a picture of a vast and restless electorate in India's most populous state, where millions have seemingly slipped from the electoral system's grasp. This revision highlights the ongoing challenge of maintaining accurate voter lists amid large-scale internal migration and urban transformation.
