Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa has rejected allegations of procedural lapses by Booth Level Officers after Congress leader Gurdeep Singh Sappal said his and a family member’s names were removed from the draft Summary Intensive Revision voter list following a change of residence within the National Capital Region.Rinwa said on Wednesday that the deletion reflected established electoral rules and data verification processes rather than any mistake by the local Booth Level Officer. He asserted that electoral rolls are constituency-specific and that a change in ordinary residence requires re-enrolment at the new address, with corresponding deletion from the earlier constituency to prevent duplication.
Sappal, who had been enrolled in the Sahibabad Assembly Constituency, claimed that the removal was unjustified and occurred solely because his family shifted to the Noida Assembly Constituency. He argued that the deletion amounted to an administrative error and raised concerns about the treatment of electors who relocate within a short distance but remain active voters.
The election office countered that the process followed the Representation of the People Act and the Election Commission’s guidelines governing revisions of electoral rolls. According to officials familiar with the exercise, the Summary Intensive Revision involves house-to-house verification, cross-checking of databases, and scrutiny of migration indicators to ensure that each voter is listed only once and in the correct constituency.
Rinwa said the BLO’s role is limited to field verification and reporting, while decisions on deletion or inclusion are taken after supervisory checks at the level of the Electoral Registration Officer. He added that safeguards exist to prevent wrongful exclusions, including the publication of draft rolls, public inspection windows, and statutory mechanisms for claims and objections.
Election officials said that when an elector shifts residence to a different assembly segment, the correct procedure is to submit Form 6 for enrolment at the new address. Upon successful inclusion, the earlier entry is removed to maintain the integrity of the rolls. In cases where deletion precedes re-enrolment, the voter retains the right to file an objection or seek restoration within the prescribed timelines.
Sappal’s contention has drawn attention to the challenges of managing voter mobility in fast-growing urban clusters such as Ghaziabad and Noida, where residential movement across constituency boundaries is frequent. Electoral administrators acknowledge that urban churn complicates roll management, particularly during intensive revisions that aim to clean up duplicate or outdated entries.
Officials emphasised that the draft status of the rolls is intended precisely to surface such disputes. The Election Commission’s framework provides for appeals before the Electoral Registration Officer and, subsequently, the District Election Officer, with further remedies available through the Commission if required. Notices are issued and hearings scheduled to ensure due process.
Rinwa also cautioned against attributing deletions to partisan considerations, stating that the roll revision is a routine administrative exercise carried out uniformly across constituencies. He said data analytics and field reports are used to flag anomalies, and that officers are accountable for adherence to procedure.
Opposition figures have urged greater transparency and clearer communication to voters during revisions, arguing that confusion over forms and deadlines can deter participation. Election officials responded that outreach campaigns, helplines, and online portals are operational to assist electors, and that additional awareness drives are planned in urban areas with high migration.
The episode comes amid heightened scrutiny of electoral roll accuracy ahead of upcoming polls, with civil society groups pressing for robust checks against both wrongful deletions and duplicate entries. The Commission has maintained that accuracy and inclusivity are twin objectives, and that revisions are calibrated to balance them.