Make SIR data public, stop pressure on BLOs: Akhilesh Yadav

In a forceful call for accountability and fairness, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday urged the Uttar Pradesh government to make public the progress of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and to ensure that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are not subjected to “life-threatening pressure” amid the massive exercise.

Addressing concerns over the overwhelming burden on ground-level officials, Yadav also appealed to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the state administration to deploy additional authorised personnel, so that BLOs are not overburdened and can perform their duties without fear or coercion.

In a post on X in Hindi, the former chief minister demanded the immediate publication of the percentage of SIR work completed in the state, emphasising that transparency in electoral roll revision is non-negotiable. He asserted that it must be ensured that those in power and their associates are never allowed to manipulate the process from behind the scenes, now or in the future.

Yadav further raised alarm over alleged attempts to delete names of voters belonging to the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpasankhyak) communities in several assembly constituencies. Calling for a thorough investigation into such complaints, he insisted that the government must take all measures to prevent any such malpractice at all costs.

The appeal comes against a backdrop of tragic incidents involving BLOs, with multiple cases of suicides and deaths among officials reported in Uttar Pradesh, allegedly linked to overwork, stress, and harassment during the SIR exercise.

The Election Commission, recognising the challenges faced by officials and voters alike, extended the schedule for the SIR exercise by a week on 30 November across nine states and three Union territories. The EC had earlier announced the commencement of the exercise on 27 October, which seeks to clean and update the voter lists for nearly 51 crore electors nationwide.

The SIR is being conducted across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

In Uttar Pradesh, the timely and accurate completion of this exercise is particularly crucial, with panchayat elections slated for 2026 and the state assembly polls scheduled for 2027.

Yadav’s intervention underscores the high stakes of the electoral revision, stressing that every voter’s right must be preserved, officials protected, and the democratic process upheld with utmost integrity.

With PTI inputs