Explained | What voters left out can do to get their names restored in UP draft electoral roll

Lucknow: The Election Commission has opened a month-long window for claims and objections after publishing the draft electoral roll in Uttar Pradesh following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), offering relief to people whose names do not figure in the provisional list.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said the window for claims and objections remains open till February 6 and the final roll will be published on March 6.

The draft roll excluded 2.89 crore voters for various reasons while 12.55 crore out of 15.44 crore listed earlier have been retained.

Here is a simple explainer on why these names were left out and what affected voters can do next.

Why were names dropped from the draft roll?

According to the CEO's office, out of 15.44 crore voters in the earlier roll, enumeration forms were received from 12.55 crore voters during the revision exercise conducted between November 4 and December 26, 2025.

Of the remaining voters, about 46.23 lakh were identified as deceased, around 2.17 crore were found to have permanently shifted or were not traceable during field verification, and about 25.47 lakh were registered at more than one place. Together, these categories account for the 18.7 per cent voters missing from the draft roll.

What is the claims and objections period?

From January 6 to February 6, 2026, any eligible voter whose name is missing or incorrectly entered can file a claim or objection. No name will be deleted from the electoral roll without following this prescribed legal process.

How can voters check their names?

Voters can verify their details through their local booth level officer (BLO), the ECINet mobile app, the CEO Uttar Pradesh website ( ceouttarpradesh.nic.in), or the Election Commission portal voters.eci.gov.in What should you do if your name is missing? If a voter's name does not appear in the draft roll, they must submit Form-6 to seek inclusion.

Other forms include:

Form-6A for overseas voters Form-7 for deletion or objection Form-8 for correction of details or replacement of EPIC forms can be submitted through BLOs, at Voter Registration Centres (VRCs) located at tehsil offices, or online via ECINet and voters.eci.gov.in

What happens to duplicate or shifted voters?

If a voter is registered at more than one location, the name will be retained at only one place after verification. Voters who have shifted permanently must apply afresh at their new address using Form-6.

Special focus on youth voters Youth who turned 18 on or before January 1, 2026, are being encouraged to apply; over 15.78 lakh Form-6 applications have already been received.

What are the next key dates?

Claims and objections: January 6 to February 6, 2026 Disposal of claims/objections: Up to February 27, 2026 Final electoral roll publication: March 6, 2026 The Election Commission has reiterated that the SIR aims to ensure that no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible name remains on the rolls, through a transparent, participatory and inclusive process.