(MENAFN- AsiaNet News)

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday launched a sharp attack on the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh, alleging a "conspiracy" to delete voters belonging to the Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak (PDA) communities.

In a post on X, Yadav demanded that the SIR process be halted and reviewed immediately, asserting that any attempts to remove eligible voters must be investigated without delay. He outlined four key demands for the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the authorities overseeing the SIR exercise.

SP Chief's Demands to ECI

The SP Chief wrote, "Direct demand on SIR: - The data on what percentage of SIR has been done in UP should be published today. - Remove the life-threatening pressure on BLO and assign additional authorised people to this work in accordance with the time period. - Ensure that the ruling party's group and their associates are not involved in this work through the back door now and will never be in the future."

Akhilesh Yadav escalated his charge, stating, "A thorough investigation should be conducted into how many people from the PDA society in each assembly constituency are being conspired to be removed from the voter list, and it should be stopped under all circumstances."

Allegations of Pressure on Election Officials

Earlier, SP Chief Yadav alleged that employees of the Election Commission of India are being pressured to complete the SIR process, questioning, "What is the hurry?" He further claimed that people in West Bengal are also raising complaints about the process.

Citing the death of a supervisor in Fatehpur, who allegedly died due to the pressures of the SIR process, the Samajwadi Party Chief, in a press conference, questioned, "Who is going to help the Election Commission employees who are dying during the SIR process?" He further asserted that the ECI should step forward and support the officers. "When I went to Fatehpur to meet the family of the supervisor (who died during SIR exercise), I was told by the family that he was under tremendous pressure from the government to complete the process quickly. As a result, he committed suicide... What is the hurry? People of West Bengal are also saying that the hands of the Election Commission are smeared with blood. Who is going to help the Election Commission employees who are dying during the SIR process? Election Commission should come forward and help..." said Yadav.

Details of SIR Exercise

The Election Commission of India will conduct the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across 12 states and Union Territories, with the final voter list scheduled to be published on February 7, 2026. The first phase of SIR was completed in Bihar in September ahead of the Assembly elections. The exercise covers Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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