Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa has ordered a statewide probe into voter-list irregularities after an investigation in Pilibhit found that more than 10,000 voter-detail changes had been entered without Form-8 applications or supporting documents.
Calling the incident a criminal act, Rinwa said, "What happened in Pilibhit was not a mistake; it was a criminal act. That is why a case has been registered".
He ordered legal action against the officials and computer operators responsible for entering and approving the changes, along with departmental proceedings against the officers concerned.
The investigation began after the Samajwadi Party submitted a memorandum on October 19 alleging that a voter's name and father's name had been changed on the Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) without a Form-8 application.
Following the complaint, Rinwa sought an immediate enquiry and report from the Pilibhit District Magistrate. The initial investigation confirmed the complaint, while similar irregularities were found in two other cases. Officials were subsequently directed to examine the entire electoral roll of the Assembly constituency for similar entries.
The wider enquiry found that more than 10,000 entries had been made without the required Form-8 applications and supporting documents.
Explaining the nature of the irregularities, Rinwa said the affected voters had neither applied for corrections nor provided documents to establish the accuracy of the altered details.
"In this case, the first problem was that no application had been submitted. Secondly, the names were changed incorrectly, and no supporting documents were provided," he said.
He added that the prescribed procedure required voters to submit a signed physical Form-8 application before any correction could be entered into the online system.
TWO ELECTORAL REGISTRATION OFFICERS FACE ACTION
According to the CEO's statement, the irregularities occurred between May 31 and August 29, bringing two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and the associated computer operators within the scope of action.
Rinwa said Voter Registration Centre (VRC) operators were responsible for entering changes into the system only after receiving genuine physical applications. The Electoral Registration Officers were responsible for approving the corrections.
Both EROs and the computer assistants working at the VRC have been held responsible, and legal action has been initiated against them under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The employees concerned have been removed from electoral-roll duties with immediate effect. A proposal has also been sought to terminate the services of the VRC operator, while departmental proceedings have been initiated against the two officers at the sub-divisional magistrate level.
Rinwa said the investigation would focus on establishing responsibility for the unauthorised changes rather than their possible electoral impact.
“We are not concerned with who won or lost an election. Our concern is whether the officials and employees concerned discharged their duties properly and whether they committed any illegal act,” he said.
He added that the enquiry was not limited to Form-8 applications and would also examine Form-6 and Form-7 entries made by the same operator in the constituency.
PROBE EXTENDED TO ALL CONSTITUENCIES
The Chief Electoral Officer said district officials across Uttar Pradesh had been directed to investigate whether similar irregularities had occurred elsewhere.
“If anyone has committed such irregularities, the officials or employees responsible will have to face the consequences. We are adopting a strict approach,” Rinwa said.
He added that action would be taken whether the irregularities resulted from negligence or deliberate manipulation.
“We are taking even minor lapses seriously. A case of this magnitude and nature had not come to our notice before, and we are examining it thoroughly,” he said.
Rinwa said the Commission had also directed District Magistrates to examine other Assembly constituencies in Pilibhit district and submit reports. District officials across the state have been asked to carry out similar checks, with reports to be submitted after ongoing elections conclude.
POLITICAL PARTIES RAISE CONCERNS OVER VOTER DETAILS
The issue came to light amid complaints about discrepancies in voter records in Pilibhit. The Samajwadi Party's complaint focused on changes to a voter's name and father's name without the prescribed application.
The Congress separately alleged that 13,150 voters in the Pilibhit Sadar Assembly constituency had identical EPIC numbers despite having different names and fathers' names. It also claimed that voter names had been changed while EPIC and serial numbers remained the same.
The Congress's allegations are separate from the more than 10,000 entries identified in the CEO's enquiry and should not be treated as interchangeable figures.
Rinwa said the authorities were also examining other reported discrepancies in electoral rolls, including complaints about unusual names in the rolls for the state Legislative Council elections. He said 158 such entries had been flagged out of more than 14.81 lakh entries, and an explanation had been sought from the concerned Commissioner.
However, he clarified that the MLC electoral-roll complaints were a separate matter from the Pilibhit Assembly constituency case.
DRAFT ELECTORAL ROLLS TO BE PUBLISHED ON NOVEMBER 12
Rinwa said the Special Summary Revision (SSR) process would provide voters an opportunity to verify their details and seek corrections.
The draft electoral rolls for Uttar Pradesh are scheduled to be published on November 12 and will be shared with political parties and uploaded to the Commission's website.
Voters will have one month to seek corrections or inclusion. Those whose names have been omitted can apply using Form 6, while those seeking corrections to their names, photographs or other details can submit Form 8.
The final electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on January 4.
Rinwa said the Commission had instructed District Magistrates to take all necessary steps to prevent a recurrence of the Pilibhit incident and would remain vigilant to ensure that electoral-roll corrections followed the prescribed procedure.
- Ends