Uttarakhand Final Voter Roll Drops by 8 Lakh After SIR, Congress Disputes Figure

Uttarakhand’s final electoral roll, published after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), lists 71.58 lakh voters, marking a decline of 8.01 lakh from the voter count recorded when the revision exercise began. The final roll was published on October 3 after the completion of the claims and objections process. However, the Congress has disputed the extent of the decline, claiming that the state had 85.19 lakh voters before the revision and that the reduction is therefore closer to 14 lakh. The Chief Electoral Officer’s office has rejected the larger figure and said the official voter count at the beginning of the SIR was 79.6 lakh.

According to the CEO’s office, the SIR began on June 8 with 79.6 lakh voters on the electoral roll. Following the distribution and compilation of enumeration forms, the draft electoral roll published on July 14 contained around 71.33 lakh voters. Citizens were subsequently given an opportunity to submit claims and objections between July 14 and August 13. These claims and objections were processed from August 13 to September 28 before the final roll was released on October 3. The final figure of 71.58 lakh therefore represents an increase of around 25,000 voters over the draft roll, while remaining 8.01 lakh below the figure recorded at the start of the revision.

Congress leader and former MLA Manoj Rawat has challenged the official calculation of the reduction. Rawat said the voter count before the revision stood at 85.19 lakh and that the final figure of 71.58 lakh represented a decline of nearly 14 lakh. The CEO’s office, however, has maintained that the relevant starting figure for calculating the change is 79.6 lakh, the number recorded when the SIR commenced. The difference between the two figures has led to competing assessments of the scale of the reduction, with the official electoral machinery relying on its June 8 count and the Congress citing a different pre-revision figure.

Also Read: Delhi Traffic Police Issue Advisory for Anti-CEC Protest at Jantar Mantar

The final electoral roll comprises 37,37,701 male voters, 34,21,036 female voters and 212 voters belonging to the third-gender category. It also includes 72,656 voters in the 18-19 age group and 1,22,892 voters aged above 80. During the claims and objections period, authorities added 1,29,872 eligible voters to the roll and removed 1,04,708 names. The figures reflect changes made during the revision process after applications and objections were examined by the election authorities.

The SIR was conducted using July 1, 2026, as the qualifying date for determining voter eligibility. The CEO’s office has said people whose names were not included in the final roll for any reason can still seek inclusion through the prescribed process. Eligible voters can apply online using the ECI-Net app by submitting Form 6 or apply offline through their Booth Level Officer. Special camps will also be organised, while BLOs have been instructed to conduct door-to-door visits to collect information and assist voters whose names are missing from the current roll.

Election officials will compare the current electoral roll with the pre-revision list to identify voters whose names appeared earlier but are absent from the final roll. BLOs will visit the homes of such voters to verify their status and, where eligibility is established, help them complete Form 6 for inclusion. Officials will also assist first-time voters and other eligible young voters who may have been left out. Lists of such voters will be shared with booth-level agents and representatives of recognised political parties, providing another opportunity for eligible citizens to have their names added to the electoral roll. The process is expected to continue even after publication of the final roll as authorities address eligible voters who remain excluded.

Also Read: Bengal SIR Judge Seeks Work-From-Home Option, Offers Resignation Over Lengthy Daily Travel