Uttar Pradesh Minister Accuses Election Commission of Large-Scale Irregularities in Voter Registration Process

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Minister Ravindra Jaiswal alleged large-scale irregularities in the special intensive revision process in the state, claiming that nearly one lakh votes were deleted from his assembly segment Varanasi. The Election Commission of India, however, rejected the claim following preliminary verification. Jaiswal made the claim at a press conference in Varanasi on February 12, noting that married women aged between 30 and 40 were registered under their father's names and that some voters were listed multiple times across different booths with identical details. Calling the ongoing SIR a “major irregularity", the minister who represents Varanasi North Assembly segment submitted a memorandum to District Magistrate Satyendra Kumar demanding a comprehensive review of the process. Amid mounting political pressure, UP Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa visited Varanasi and said that the list of allegedly fake or duplicate voters provided by the minister had been examined.