Lucknow. Before the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the political turmoil over the voter list has intensified. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has sparked a new debate by claiming that the names of Hindu voters have decreased in the voter list and the number of Muslim voters has increased. After this statement of the Chief Minister, there has been an increase in the stir in the politics of the state. Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav raised questions on the Chief Minister’s claim and asked from where did he get these figures. Now Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has reiterated his claim while answering Akhilesh Yadav’s question. He has said that questions have been raised regarding the changes in the voter list after the Special Intensive Revision i.e. SIR. A memorandum has also been given to the Election Commission in this regard.
In view of the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the issue of voter list has come at the center of political debate. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has raised the issue of alleged change in the number of Hindu and Muslim voters. He claims that after SIR, the names of Hindu voters have decreased, while the number of Muslim voters has increased. This statement of the Chief Minister has started a new discussion regarding the process of voter list and its transparency.
Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav has raised questions on this claim of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He has asked from where the Chief Minister got this data. Akhilesh Yadav’s question is directly related to the source of the data on the basis of which the Chief Minister has claimed the change in the number of Hindu and Muslim voters.
After the question was raised by Akhilesh Yadav, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also replied. He has cited the alleged changes in the voter list after the SIR to support his claim. The Chief Minister has also told that after this process, the names of how many Hindu voters decreased and how many Muslim voters increased. However, their exact numbers are not given in the available details. Therefore it is not possible to mention any definite numbers without independent confirmation of the data.
Describing this entire matter as serious, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has raised questions over the disappearance of names from the voter list. He says that it should be found out how the names of the voters disappeared from the list. He has also raised the question of a possible conspiracy behind this. However, no confirmation of any conspiracy has been revealed.
It has also come to light that a memorandum has been given to the Election Commission in this matter. Through the memorandum, questions have been raised regarding the alleged changes in the voter list. It has been asked how the names of the voters disappeared and who is responsible behind this. Through these questions, clarification has been sought on the process of revising the voter list.
This dispute over voter list in Uttar Pradesh has come to light at a time when political activities regarding assembly elections are becoming important. The rhetoric regarding the voter list between the ruling BJP and the main opposition party Samajwadi Party in the state has further heated up the election atmosphere. After Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s claims and Akhilesh Yadav’s questions, this issue has become a major topic of political discussion.
Special Intensive Revision i.e. SIR is the process of checking and updating the voter list. Its purpose is to ensure the names of eligible voters are in the list and to identify names that are ineligible, duplicated or eligible for deletion for other reasons. However, the process of removing the name of any voter should be done as per the prescribed election rules. In such a situation, if a large number of claims are made for deletion or addition of names in the voter list, then investigation of their basis and evidence becomes important.
The questions raised by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding the number of Hindu and Muslim voters have given a new political dimension to this controversy. At the same time, Akhilesh Yadav has brought the credibility of the Chief Minister’s claim into the center of discussion by raising questions on the source of the data. Now it will be important to see what clarification comes from the Election Commission regarding the related data.
The claim of increase or decrease in the names of any community in the voter list cannot in itself be considered as evidence of irregularity or conspiracy. This requires checking the official data, relevant voter records and reasons for adding or removing names. Regarding the Chief Minister’s claim, the same question is important that what is the basis of the alleged changes and how have they been confirmed.
At present, the political debate has intensified between Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav regarding the voter list in Uttar Pradesh. While the Chief Minister has said that a memorandum will be submitted to the Election Commission raising questions on the alleged changes in the voter list, Akhilesh Yadav has raised questions on the source of these figures. Now the official clarification of the Election Commission will be important in this entire controversy. This issue of voter list before the assembly elections may remain a topic of discussion in the politics of the state in the coming days also.
