Uttarakhand's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has triggered a political dispute after election authorities recorded 59,604 objections across the state, including 5,906 filed by a single individual in the Kichha Assembly constituency. The figures have drawn attention to the scale of the verification exercise and raised concerns over how objections are being submitted.

According to an analytical report prepared by election authorities, more than 90 per cent of the objections originated from districts in the plains. The largest category involves 40,906 voters who were either not found at their registered addresses during verification or were reported to have permanently shifted elsewhere. These cases account for nearly 69 per cent of all objections filed through Form 10.

The Kichha constituency recorded the highest number of objections at 8,767, with one person, identified in the report as Rajesh Tiwari, filing 5,906 of them. His objections account for nearly two-thirds of the total objections received in Kichha and close to 10 per cent of all objections filed across Uttarakhand. Haldwani followed with 7,312 objections, while Jaspur recorded 6,720 and Kashipur 5,704.

Also Read: BSP To Contest UP, Punjab And Uttarakhand Assembly Elections Alone: Mayawati

The objections cover several categories, including voters allegedly already enrolled, permanent relocation, deaths, underage status and non-Indian citizenship. The report records 14,358 objections involving people allegedly already enrolled as voters, 2,575 related to permanent relocation, 804 citing deaths, 143 involving alleged underage voters and 205 concerning citizenship. In another 607 cases, no clear reason was recorded.

The Congress has alleged that the revision process is being used to target Muslim voters and people perceived to support the Opposition. Congress leader Amendra Bisht alleged that objections were being filed against Muslim and Congress-linked voters with the aim of removing their names from electoral rolls. The BJP has rejected the allegations, with state spokesperson Mathura Joshi accusing the Congress of making such claims for political reasons and maintaining that the Election Commission was conducting the exercise according to established rules.

Election authorities have clarified that an objection does not automatically result in deletion of a voter's name from the electoral roll. Additional Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Kumar Jogdande said both the person filing the objection and the voter concerned are given an opportunity to present their cases before any decision is taken. Officials have also stressed that simply finding a voter absent from their registered address is not, by itself, sufficient grounds for deletion, with the verification process continuing amid the political dispute.

Also Read: Garhwal Leaders Gain Prominent Roles In BJP’s Uttarakhand Organisation