Election Commission Extends SIR Deadline In UP, Big Relief For BLOs

Election Commission sources say the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh will now run longer, with the deadline reportedly extended by 14 days. Instead of 11 December, voters in the state may add or correct names till 25 December, and a similar decision for some other states is also considered possible.

UP Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa said that more than 91% SIR forms have already been distributed across the state and about 80% voters have filled and submitted them. Around 76% electors have been mapped with the 2003 voter list, yet SIR forms of nearly 18% of the 2.91 crore voters are still unaccounted for.

SIR deadline and voter verification progress

Navdeep Rinwa explained that a fresh verification exercise will cover 2 crore 91 lakh voters in the next two weeks. So far, authorities have confirmed 1.27 crore shifted voters, 46 lakh deceased voters and 23.69 lakh duplicate entries. Field teams are unable to trace 84.74 lakh electors, while 9.57 lakh voters took SIR forms but did not return them.

Rinwa said that he has asked the Election Commission for an additional week for the drive and expects approval for two extra weeks. According to Rinwa, agents of political parties, especially Booth Level Agents, now need to help locate missing voters. The final number of deletions will be known only after the draft list is published.

SIR drive and CM Yogi’s directions

People who complete 18 years of age on 1 January 2026 can also submit Form-6 and get their names added. Officials say this gives first-time voters a window till 25 December to complete paperwork under SIR. The extended schedule is meant to cover both pending verifications and new electors.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath underlined the importance of the special intensive revision for a strong democracy, and urged Bharatiya Janata Party office-bearers, public representatives and workers to stay active. Chairing a meeting with MLAs and senior party leaders at the Annexe auditorium on Tuesday evening, Yogi Adityanath said the coming month should be devoted mainly to this work.

Yogi Adityanath told party workers to reach every household at booth level and check who has submitted the SIR form and who has not. He instructed them to ensure that “no eligible voter should be left out" and that ineligible names do not remain on the rolls. Yogi Adityanath stressed that including every eligible voter is essential for a strong and inclusive democratic system.

SIR process, SIR criticism and political debate

The SIR process has also drawn criticism in Parliament. Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday that “Democracy is being abused through SIR." Participating in a discussion on electoral reforms, Rajeev Rai displayed some documents and claimed that at least 1000 names in his constituency were deleted from the voter list even before SIR began.

The Samajwadi Party member cited an example from Rajeev Rai’s own family, saying that even people who stay constantly with Rajeev Rai have been declared dead.

Amid these opposing claims, the extended SIR deadline in Uttar Pradesh is set to cover pending verifications, new 18-year-old voters and disputed entries. Further instructions from the Election Commission on other states are awaited, while local officials, party workers and critics continue to watch how the revised electoral rolls finally take shape.