Lucknow (UP)The press release issued by the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh on October 9, 2026, has raised serious questions about the validity and transparency of the process for removing names from the voter list through Form-7. This was disclosed by Chander Shekhar Azad Chief Bheem Army.He said that at the same time, it has also intensified concerns about its potential misuse. According to the released data, out of 87,127 deletion requests, 85,854 (approximately 98.5%) did not record any clear reason for name removal.In addition, questions have been raised about 110,476 deletion requests filed after the stipulated deadline for SIR, as well as cases where a single individual applied to remove the names of multiple voters. In the Tarbganj and Pilibhit assembly constituencies, it has come to light that nearly 90% of the deletion requests pertain to Muslim voters. In Tarbganj, a case has surfaced where objections were filed against 188 voters from the same booth on the same day under the name “Reshma.” Furthermore, there are mentions of 198 such instances where more than 10 Form-7s were filed in the name of one person, attempting to remove a total of 4,740 voters’ names.
The Election Office has described these cases as limited, stating that their number is negligible compared to the lakhs of applications in the state. However, the seriousness of the questions cannot be dismissed simply by downplaying the number of cases. Earlier, in the matter of changes made to Form-6 without the permission of the Law Ministry, the Election Commission claimed in a press release issued on September 26, 2026, that these changes were made following approval from the Honorable Supreme Court. The Commission also clarified that only the old Form-6, as it existed before SIR, will now be valid, and voters whose names have been struck off the voter list can apply to have their names re-added. However, on October 5, 2026, the Honorable Supreme Court clearly stated that it had not approved any amendments made to Form-6. The countrymen will never forgive such anti-democratic acts that tamper with voters’ rights and mislead the nation’s public.