Lucknow: The BJP’s confidence over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has turned into anxiety in Uttar Pradesh, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath publicly flagging the risk of large-scale deletion of party supporters’ names. Yogi’s intervention came on the same day Pankaj Chaudhary was formally appointed as the new BJP state president, a development that has added a political subtext to the unfolding crisis.
Party leaders acknowledge that nearly 15 to 20 per cent of SIR forms are yet to be submitted, even as only about ten days remain before the extended deadline. Yogi has directed BJP workers, legislators and ministers to operate on a war footing to ensure maximum submission of forms, warning that failure could prove costly in the 2027 Assembly elections.
The SIR exercise by the Election Commission has caused a stir across political circles. Uttar Pradesh’s voter list, which earlier stood at around 15.44 crore, is now expected to shrink to nearly 12 crore after revision. This implies that close to four crore names could be removed. Yogi himself has described the situation as a major setback for the BJP, claiming that 85 to 90 per cent of the names at risk belong to BJP supporters, particularly in urban areas.
Opposition parties have termed the exercise an assault on democracy, while the Election Commission maintains that the process is aimed at cleaning up the rolls by removing names of deceased voters, duplicate entries and voters who have shifted or remain permanently absent.
Urban centres such as Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Varanasi, Kanpur and Gorakhpur have witnessed the sharpest impact. Over the years, large numbers of migrants from other districts settled in these cities and registered themselves as voters there. With stricter enforcement of the one voter, one place rule under SIR, many have submitted forms in their native districts, leading to a steep drop in urban voter numbers. Since cities are considered a stronghold of the BJP, the decline has triggered concern within the party.
BJP leaders admit that urban voters did not treat the SIR exercise with urgency, despite the risk of deletion if forms were not submitted. In contrast, the party believes the Samajwadi Party remained more alert, ensuring timely submission by its supporters. The process is also eliminating duplicate registrations and retaining names at only one location in cases of multiple entries. Community dynamics have further complicated matters. According to BJP sources, Muslim voters responded quickly to the exercise, driven by concerns related to citizenship scrutiny and continuity of welfare benefits. Hindu voters, particularly BJP supporters, were slower to act, widening the gap in form submissions.
Against this backdrop, Yogi’s forceful call to mobilise booth-level workers has been seen as an attempt to regain control of the situation. Significantly, the warning was issued on the day Pankaj Chaudhary took charge as the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh president. Chaudhary is widely regarded within the party as close to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while Yogi had reportedly favoured former state president Swatantrata Dev Singh for the role. The timing has fuelled speculation that the SIR fallout could test coordination between the government and the new party leadership.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has extended the SIR process in Uttar Pradesh by 15 days. The period for claims and objections has now been fixed from December 31 to January 30, 2026, following a request from the state Chief Electoral Officer. The final publication of the revised voter list is scheduled for February 28.
With the numbers still fluctuating and political tempers rising, the SIR exercise has moved beyond a routine administrative revision and is increasingly shaping up as a factor that could influence the trajectory of Uttar Pradesh politics ahead of 2027.