Alarm bells have started ringing within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh following the publication of a draft electoral roll that saw a staggering 2.89 crore names deleted. The deletions, which constitute 18.70% of the state's electorate, have prompted the ruling party's top brass to launch a massive voter enrollment drive ahead of the crucial 2027 Assembly elections.
Massive Deletions Trigger Urgent Meeting
Hours after the Election Commission released the draft roll on January 6, 2026, the state's BJP leadership convened an urgent meeting. The draft list included 12.55 crore voters, but Uttar Pradesh topped the country in total deletions. The EC cited reasons such as electors being marked as deceased, having shifted residence, being absent, or being enrolled in multiple locations.
Sources revealed that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and state BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary held a virtual meeting with all state ministers, MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and district-level office bearers. The leadership expressed deep concern over the large-scale exclusions and immediately charted a corrective course of action.
The Ambitious 200-Voter-Per-Booth Target
In response to the crisis, the party has set an ambitious target for its ground workers. A senior state BJP leader explained that with 1.77 lakh polling booths in the state after a recent rationalization exercise, the party has been instructed to ensure the enrollment of over 3.5 crore genuine voters before the list is finalized.
This translates to a directive of adding at least 200 voters at every single polling booth. The target is based on an estimation that there are currently around 15.5 crore eligible voters in Uttar Pradesh. The focus will be on enrolling new young voters, those deleted due to documentation errors or lack of papers, and those classified as 'unmapped' or 'untraceable' in the system.
Strategic Outreach to Migrant and Dual-Listed Voters
The party's strategy involves a multi-pronged outreach. One key focus is on people from Uttar Pradesh who are working in other states and are enrolled as voters there. Party workers will request them to get enrolled in UP ahead of the 2027 polls, especially since states like Delhi will not have Assembly elections in the next five years.
Another significant group being targeted consists of voters registered in two Assembly constituencies—typically one at their workplace in a city and another at their native rural address. Due to apprehensions surrounding the EC's Special Summary Revision (SRR), many such voters have preferred to retain their vote in their rural home. However, they are unlikely to travel long distances to cast their ballot.
"We have been asked to request such voters to continue as voters in the assembly and Lok Sabha constituency where they can conveniently cast their votes," a UP BJP leader stated. The window for claims and objections on the draft roll is open from January 6 to February 6, 2026, with the final voter list scheduled for publication on March 6, 2026.
The meeting also discussed creating awareness about the benefits of the revised Viksit Bharat-GRAM G Act, the rural jobs guarantee law. The BJP's massive mobilization effort underscores the high-stakes political battle brewing in India's most populous state, where every vote will count in the 2027 electoral showdown.
