SEC faces duplication challenge in revision of Uttar Pradesh panchayat poll rolls
The State Election Commission aims to complete the voter revision process and publish the final list by January 15, 2026. Panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh are likely to be held between April and July 2026.
The revision of electoral rolls comprising 12 crore (120 million) voters for the 2026 panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh is posing a duplication challenge for the State Election Commission with officials suspecting the presence of over 50 lakh (5 million) voters whose names appear at more than one polling booth.
Till now, SEC has zeroed in on over 12 lakh (1.2 million) duplicate voters and 1.63-lakh names have actually been deleted from the panchayat voter list, according to officials.
The exercise coincides with the Election Commission of India’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh for the 2027 assembly elections.
As for the panchayat polls, the booth level officers (BLOs) are currently cross-checking voter lists in their respective areas.
The SEC aims to complete the voter revision process and publish the final list by January 15, 2026.
“Uttar Pradesh has 12 crore panchayat voters and the process to check them will take at least another month,” said Akhilesh Mishra, joint election commissioner at SEC.
Panchayat elections in the state are likely to be held between April and July 2026.
In several cases, individual names were found registered at more than two booths, prompting SEC to place special emphasis on cleaning up the voter rolls.
BLOs have been instructed to focus on detecting duplicate entries and identifying voters who have moved out of their panchayat areas. Additionally, eligible new voters who will reach the voting age next year are being enrolled.
“Voters who are living on the border of rural and urban areas and have got new houses made in urban areas are being given focus. Their votes are being verified, before a final list comes out in January,” said a senior officer of the SEC.
Uttar Pradesh State Election Commissioner (UPSEC) Raj Pratap Singh conducted an online meeting with all district returning officers and asked them to get all preparations done for voter list revision.
The SEC has also fixed the maximum expenditure limit by candidates for various positions.
A maximum ₹7 lakh can be spent by candidates for the post of district panchayat chairperson. A sum of ₹10,000 is the upper limit for village panchayat members.
In a letter to the district returning officers for the panchayat elections, the State Election Commission said a gram panchayat pradhan candidate can spend up to ₹1,25,000 during the elections while a kshetra panchayat member nominee can spend up to ₹1 lakh. A candidate for the zila (district) panchayat member’s post can spend up to ₹2.5 lakh and the candidate for kshetra panchayat chairperson can spend up to ₹3.5 lakh.
The letter from the state election commission has been sent to all district returning officers to keep a watch on the expenditure by respective candidates.
