SIR exercise: Nine lakh names dropped from Uttarakhand’s poll roll; State now has 71.59 lakh voters

Around nine lakh names have been removed from Uttarakhand’s electoral roll through the special intensive revision (SIR). The final electoral roll was published on Saturday (October 3, 2026) carrying 71.58 lakh electors in the State.

Speaking to the media, Uttarakhand Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) B.V.R.C. Purushottam said the final roll includes 1,29,872 newly enrolled voters.

When the SIR exercise began in June, the State had 79,60,762 registered voters. The first draft roll, published on July 14, contained 71,33,785 names. The State accepted claims and objections until August 13, while hearings and disposal of cases continued until September 28, ahead of the publication of the final roll on October 3.

“Compared with the draft roll published in July, the number of electors has risen by about 25,000, as 1,04,708 names were deleted following claims and objections, while more than 1.29 lakh names were added,” Mr. Purushottam said.

Sharing the gender-wise details, the official said the final roll comprises 34,21,036 women, 37,37,701 men and 212 third-gender voters. It includes 72,656 voters aged 18-19 and 1,22,892 voters above the age of 80. The State has 12,543 polling stations.

For those left out

Addressing concerns over those who could not make it to the final poll list, Mr. Purushottam said people who were left out, as well as those who have become newly eligible to vote, can apply by filling Form 6 either online through the ECINet app or offline through their Booth Level Officer (BLO).

The State will now begin a special drive to enrol missing and eligible voters, following the nearly 10% decline in the electoral roll, with a large number of voters placed in the “uncollectable (ASDD)” category. Dehradun recorded the highest number of such voters at 1,86,008, followed by Udham Singh Nagar with 1,77,673 and Haridwar with 1,30,203.

“A special campaign to enrol new voters will now begin. Under the plan, BLOs will compare the current roll with the pre-SIR list, identify voters who were earlier listed but are now missing, and visit them at home to help eligible people fill Form 6. They will also ensure forms are filled for first-time and young voters and share the list with booth-level agents of recognised political parties,” the official said. He added that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) would subsequently share booth-wise lists with party representatives. Special camps will also be held in night shelters and labour colonies, as well as for homeless and marginalised communities.

Vote theft: Congress

Meanwhile, senior vice-president of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee, Suryakant Dhasmana, expressed dissatisfaction with the final electoral roll and demanded that the Election Commission make public the complete Assembly constituency-wise details of voters whose names were deleted during the pre-SIR and SIR exercises.

He alleged that most of the deletions were carried out under what he described as a “vote theft” formula and claimed that irregularities in Forms 6 and 7 had come to light, following which the Election Commission took a U-turn, raising questions over the entire exercise. He demanded the immediate restoration of the names of all deleted voters to the electoral rolls, stating that the Congress did not accept the additions and deletions carried out during the SIR exercise.