Lucknow erupted in political tension as the Samajwadi Party (SP) submitted a detailed memorandum to Uttar Pradesh’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), accusing authorities of blatant favoritism during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. Under the directive of SP national president Akhilesh Yadav, the party highlighted irregularities in Kasganj, Bahraich, Farrukhabad, and Basti districts, claiming the process is rigged against SP strongholds.
In Kasganj assembly constituency, particularly booths 1 to 200—predominantly SP supporter areas—booth level officers (BLOs) are allegedly issuing notices with just 12 hours’ notice to voters, while BJP-aligned booths receive ample time. SP charges BLOs with ignoring rules, limiting new voter forms, and skipping house-to-house verifications. The party demands immediate removal of officials acting as ‘BJP agents,’ including a block pramukh, son of the current MLA, accused of targeting SP voters.
Bahraich’s Nanpara seat sees another controversy: women of Nepalese origin, armed with residence certificates, caste documents, ration cards, Aadhaar, and voter IDs, are being rejected for lacking marriage and migration proofs. Thousands risk disenfranchisement, prompting SP to urge swift inclusion in voter rolls.
Farrukhabad’s booth 128, covering Bangshpura and Manihari, has old lists merged incorrectly. Only Bangshpura voters were verified in 2003, leading to nearly 300 Manihari voters slated for deletion without proper notices based on missing 2003 details. SP calls for investigation and reversal.
In Basti, over 100,000 voters flagged for no-mapping or logical errors receive short-notice summons they can’t attend. SP insists on sharing booth-wise notice lists—with ERO names, venues, and dates—with parties and BLOs for assistance.
This escalation underscores deepening mistrust in UP’s electoral preparations ahead of potential polls, with SP vowing to fight for fair voter verification.