Legal action ordered against officials over irregularities in voter list in Pilibhit

Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Wednesday (October 23, 2026) ordered legal action against officials responsible for discrepancies in the electoral rolls of the Pilibhit Assembly Constituency, where searching certain voters’ EPIC numbers online displayed details of other electors.

“Legal action will be taken against both the current and former election officials responsible for the discrepancies found in the voter list for constituency 127 – Pilibhit. In addition to the legal action being taken against the two voter registration officials, instructions have also been given to initiate departmental action. The computer support staff will be terminated. The District Election Officer, Pilibhit, has received a detailed report regarding a complaint concerning the display of the EPIC number of one voter in the voter list of Assembly constituency 127 (Pilibhit), indicating the details of another voter,” reads an official statement by the State election commission. 

According to the investigation report, the computer operator of the voter registration centre for Assembly Constituency 127 – Pilibhit, entered a total of 13,779 Form-8s between May 31, 2026, and August 29, 2026, to update voter details. Of these, a total of 4,717 forms were entered between July 16, 2026, and the remaining 9,062 forms were entered between July 17, 2026, and August 29, 2026. No Form-8s corresponding to any of these entries were found in the office records. A total of 10,470 Form-8s were approved, while 3,309 were rejected. This revealed discrepancies in 10,470 of the entries,” says the official statement.

The Election Commission of India has directed that the computer operator at the voter registration centre in 127-Pilibhit and the election registration officers (EROs) assigned to the Pilibhit constituency for the period between July 16, 2026, and July 17, 2026, be held responsible for the irregularities in the voter registration process.

“The commission has instructed that legal action be taken against them under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Furthermore, the commission has directed a thorough investigation into the role of the relevant assistant election registration officers in this case, with a report to be submitted. The District Election Officer, Pilibhit, has been instructed to direct the computer assistants at voter registration centres to conduct a thorough review of all Form 6s and Form 7s submitted for voter registration and deletion, respectively, between April 10, 2026, and October 21, 2026, and to provide a detailed report within one day. In addition, all discrepancies found in Form 8 entries are being addressed according to established procedures and standards,” added the official statement.

The Congress on Wednesday (October 21) alleged large-scale manipulation of electoral rolls in the Pilibhit Sadar Assembly constituency, claiming that the names of 13,150 voters were changed while their EPIC and serial numbers remained the same. The party accused the Election Commission for the manipulation.