Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday demanded greater transparency and accountability in the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Uttar Pradesh, raising concerns over alleged irregularities and undue pressure on officials.
In a detailed post on X, Yadav outlined a series of direct demands to ensure the process is fair, impartial, and free from political influence. “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 authorized 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," Yadav wrote in a post on X.
"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,” he further demanded. The SP chief, along with INDIA bloc leaders have been sharply critical of the SIR exercise over alleged attempts to dis-enfranchise marginalised and downtrodden voters.
He has also urged the party workers to spot and stop any irregularity in the "electoral roll purification" drive, to ensure that no genuine voter is excluded from the list. On November 27, he completed his own SIR form and shared a photograph on X, encouraging citizens to follow suit.
He also asked those facing difficulties to reach out to the party's 'PDA Prahari' teams, which have been assisting citizens in navigating the voter verification process. Recently, Yadav has also met with families of BLOs who recently passed away, highlighting the risks faced by officials involved in the SIR process.
During a press conference in Lucknow earlier on Saturday, he handed over a cheque of Rs 2 lakh to the family of one such BLO, reflecting the party’s concern for officials working under difficult conditions. Questioning the Election Commission’s urgency in conducting the SIR when elections are still two years away, Yadav accused the poll body of functioning in a manner that favours the BJP.
Despite political tensions within the INDIA bloc in Bihar, he reaffirmed that the alliance remains united in Uttar Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party chief’s remarks underscore growing political scrutiny surrounding voter verification in the state and the importance of transparency in the process.