The draft electoral rolls published on Tuesday have led to a significant reduction in the number of voters in two key districts of Uttar Pradesh's National Capital Region. The exercise, following a 62-day Special Intensive Revision (SIR), has removed names categorised as ASD - Absent, Shifted, or Dead.
Sharp Decline in Electorate Numbers
In Gautam Budh Nagar, encompassing Noida, Dadri, and Jewar, the voter count has plummeted from 18.7 lakh to 14.3 lakh in the draft roll. This represents a reduction of nearly 4.4 lakh names, or about 24% of the previous electorate. The cut is even more pronounced in neighbouring Ghaziabad, where the draft list reflects 20.1 lakh voters against an earlier tally of 28.4 lakh. This provisional reduction of 8.3 lakh names translates to a 29% decrease.
Officials have clarified that these figures are not final and can change during the claims and objections period, which is now open. Furthermore, an additional three lakh voters across both districts find themselves in an "unmapped" category. Their details could not be confirmed against the 2003 electoral rolls, and they will receive notices from the Electoral Registration Officer via Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) to establish their eligibility.
Public Access and Verification Process
Ghaziabad District Magistrate and Election Officer Ravindra Mander stated that the draft rolls were published at multiple levels for public access. Copies are available at the Electoral Registration Officer in each Assembly constituency, at polling stations through BLOs, and have been shared with recognised political parties. Soft copies were also uploaded on the district website (ghaziabad.nic.in). In Gautam Budh Nagar, however, the draft roll was made available on the national voters.eci.gov.in portal instead of the district site.
With the publication of the draft, voters began trickling in for verification on the very first day. At several booths, BLOs were seen working with two sets of records: the physical draft roll and a separate list of voters marked for deletion. Many BLOs noted that the two months of fieldwork made them familiar faces in their assigned localities.
Booth Rationalisation and Resident Outreach
The revision process also involved a rationalisation of polling booths and BLO jurisdictions. Gautam Budh Nagar added 156 new booths, taking the total to 2,024, while Ghaziabad added 134, increasing its count from 3,224 to 3,358. Notably, in GB Nagar alone, 125 new booths have been established inside high-rise societies to bring polling facilities closer to residents.
Officials explained that voters must now first identify their booth number, which may have changed, to locate their names on the rolls. While outgoing BLOs were tasked with informing residents about shifts, officials acknowledged potential communication gaps. GB Nagar DM Medha Roopam said, "We have directed all BLOs and Booth-Level Agents (BLAs) to ensure residents are aware of any change in their polling booth so that no voter is left searching."
In Greater Noida's Plumeria Garden Estate, senior citizens visited their newly designated booth inside the society clubhouse. Resident Brijendra Swarup Mathur said they learned about the draft list through their estate manager and found all family members' names present.
The rationalisation has also reshuffled BLO assignments. Satyapal Lohia, who previously managed two societies, now handles only Plumeria, while Migsun Ultimo was assigned to another BLO. Lohia mentioned he was informed of the segregation just two days prior and shared the draft roll with the new BLO.
In Jaitpur Vaishpur village, residents checking printed rolls flagged errors like spelling mistakes in fathers' names, stating they would submit Form 8 for corrections. Officials clarified that the draft rolls on display do not indicate if a voter is "unmapped," as that list is maintained separately. Notices will be served to unmapped voters, asking for document submission.
The document requirements for verification vary by the voter's year of birth:
- Voters born before 1987 need to produce their own identity proof.
- Those born between 1987 and 2004 must submit their own documents along with either parent's ID.
- Voters born after 2004 are required to produce their own ID as well as identity documents of both parents.
