By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 10 Aug: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttarakhand has begun generating political heat as the data has revealed that a small number of people have filed an unusually large number of objections during the exercise. As many as 12,209 objection applications have been registered so far during the ongoing SIR exercise, but what has drawn attention is that some particular people have themselves filed dozens, and in some cases more than 100 objections.
According to the data available, the highest number of objections has been filed by a person named Nitin, who has submitted 156 objections. The objections filed by him are related to the Jaspur and Kichha Assembly constituencies. The figures indicate that 64 of his objections have been filed in Jaspur, while 147 have been filed in Kichha, suggesting that the same person may have submitted objections in more than one constituency. The figures, as provided, also indicate a substantial concentration of objection filings by a handful of individuals.
The issue has naturally assumed political significance because the SIR exercise is being conducted at a time when Uttarakhand is gradually moving towards the 2027 Assembly elections. As per the Election Commission, the revision is aimed at updating and purifying the electoral rolls, while for political parties the exercise is of considerable importance because the final voters’ list will form the basis of the next Assembly elections. Consequently, both the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress are closely watching the manner in which the SIR process is progressing.
Around 19 lakh voters in the state have been issued notices as part of the electoral roll revision exercise. Following this, objections are being filed regarding names included in the electoral rolls. It is the pattern of these objections, rather than merely their overall number, that has now become a subject of discussion.
The available figures show that 12,209 genuine objection applications have been registered so far. Of these, the highest number, 156, has been filed by one Nitin. At the same time, Vineet Giri Gosai has filed 126 objections, Kartik Gheek has filed 125, Ashok Prasad has filed 113 and Abhishek Tiwari has filed 104 objections. Similarly, Latika Sikdar has filed 93 objections, Vijay Yadav 90, Jay Mahashakti Mishra 76, Gurmel Singh 75 and Ramkumar 73.
It means that the top 10 persons alone account for 1,124 objection applications, which is around 9.2 percent of the total 12,209 genuine objections filed so far. The concentration is significant because these are the applications filed by the same people against different names in the electoral rolls. It must however be reminded here that this does not, however, by itself establish that the objections are false or invalid. Each objection would necessarily have to be examined on its own merits and verified by the authorities before any conclusion can be drawn.
The Assembly constituency-wise figures also show a marked concentration of objections. Jaspur has recorded the highest number with 3,896 objections, followed by Kichha with 2,857. Kashipur has recorded 1,489 objections, Rudrapur 1,129 and Roorkee 676. Bajpur has recorded 438 objections, Sitarganj 274, Gadarpur 227, Manglaur 226 and Haridwar Rural 127.
The figures relating to the people filing the objections also show that the concentration is particularly pronounced in Jaspur and Kichha assembly constituencies. Nitin, who has filed the highest number of objections overall, has submitted objections in these two constituencies. The large number of applications being filed from a few constituencies and by a relatively small number of people has therefore become an issue requiring closer scrutiny during the verification process.
The district-wise picture is also noteworthy. Seven Assembly constituencies of Udham Singh Nagar district namely Jaspur, Kichha, Kashipur, Rudrapur, Bajpur, Sitarganj and Gadarpur, together account for 10,310 objections. In Haridwar district, the three constituencies among the top 10, namely Roorkee, Manglaur and Haridwar Rural, have together recorded 1,029 objections.
This means that these 10 Assembly constituencies alone account for 11,339 of the total 12,209 genuine objections registered so far, or around 93 percent of all objections. The remaining Assembly constituencies together account for only around 870 objections. The concentration of objections in these constituencies, therefore, is another aspect of the SIR exercise that is attracting attention during the verification process.
The reasons cited for filing the objections provide further details about the nature of the exercise. The largest number, 8,166 objections, relate to voters described as ‘Absent/Permanently Shifted’, meaning that the persons concerned are alleged to be absent from the address or to have permanently shifted elsewhere.
This is followed by 2,872 objections on the ground of ‘Already Enrolled’, indicating that the concerned person is alleged to already be enrolled in the electoral roll elsewhere. Another 730 objections relate to persons categorised as permanently shifted. There are 286 objections concerning deceased voters, while 110 relate to voters alleged to be underage. Two objections have been filed against persons alleged not to be Indian citizens. In 42 cases, the reason for the objection has not been clearly specified.
Another unusual fact revealed from the data is that in 879 applications, the name of the person filing the objection and the name of the voter against whom the objection has been filed are the same. These applications constitute around 7.2 percent of the total 12,209 genuine objections. The figures are likely to attract attention because they raise questions about the manner in which objections have been submitted, although the exact circumstances behind individual applications can only be established through verification.
The large number of objections filed by a limited number of particular persons has now become a political issue. The Congress has raised questions over the SIR process and expressed apprehension that the exercise could potentially be used to seek deletion of names of genuine voters from the electoral rolls. The party has also questioned whether the unusually high number of objections being filed by certain persons indicates an organised attempt to influence the revision of the voters’ list ahead of the Assembly elections.
It may be recalled that the Congress in a recently submitted memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has demanded that no person be permitted to file more than 5 objections. The party says that the figures raise serious questions and warrants a tight scrutiny. The Congress has also alleged that the objections are being used as a means of seeking deletion of voters’ names or creating obstacles for genuine voters in exercising their franchise. The Congress also apprehends that such a process could ultimately benefit the BJP in the forthcoming Assembly elections.
The BJP, however, has rejected the allegations and accused the Congress of trying to create controversy around the SIR exercise. BJP leader Manveer Chauhan said the Congress has already accepted its defeat ahead of the elections and is now attempting to justify its anticipated defeat by making allegations regarding the electoral roll revision.
He alleged that the Congress itself is getting bogus objections filed and is subsequently trying to blame the BJP for the practice. The BJP has maintained that the SIR process is an electoral roll revision exercise and that all objections will be subjected to the prescribed process of scrutiny and verification.
It is important to remind here that filing an objection does not automatically result in deletion of a voter’s name from the electoral roll. The objection has to be considered by the competent election authorities, along with the relevant documents and other available evidence, before a final decision is taken. Therefore, the unusually high number of objections filed by certain individuals cannot, by itself, be treated as proof that the applications are bogus or that the voters concerned are ineligible.
At the same time, the concentration of a large number of objection applications among a relatively small number of individuals is a significant feature of the data and is likely to remain under scrutiny as the SIR progresses. With one person having filed 156 objections and the top 10 persons accounting for 1,124 applications, the pattern raises questions about the extent to which some persons are actively participating in the objection process across electoral rolls.
The final picture, however, will emerge only after the objections are examined and the claims and supporting documents are verified. The final electoral roll will determine how many of the objections are found to have merit and whether they result in any changes to the voters’ list. Until then, the figures provide an indication of the scale and concentration of objection filings but cannot, on their own, establish that the process has been manipulated or that the objections are false.
With the 2027 Assembly elections approaching, the SIR exercise is therefore likely to remain a politically sensitive issue in Uttarakhand and the allegations are being exchanged between the Congress and BJP which have already added a new dimension to the SIR in the state.
