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Same voter ID, different names: Congress alleges voter list tampering
Addressing a press conference, UP Congress president Aradhana Mishra said, “the disappearance of names from electoral rolls was a grave issue that previously came to light only in the final stages of an election. The party would seek legal opinion on the matter.”
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The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday alleged that voters’ names were being altered in the state’s electoral rolls to deprive people of their voting rights, citing alleged irregularities involving 13,150 entries in the Pilibhit Sadar assembly constituency.
Addressing a press conference, UP Congress president Aradhana Mishra said, “the disappearance of names from electoral rolls was a grave issue that previously came to light only in the final stages of an election. The party would seek legal opinion on the matter.”
Rajendra Pal Gautam, the AICC in-charge for Uttar Pradesh, alleged that the Election Commission had devised a system that could manipulate election outcomes.
“A system has been engineered under chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, which allows for the manipulation of election outcomes, ensuring the defeat or victory of any candidate at will,” he said.
Supriya Shrinate, AICC spokesperson, said Sanjay Gangwar, a UP minister and Pilibhit Sadar MLA, had won the 2022 assembly election by 6,930 votes. She alleged that irregularities involving more than 16,000 votes had been uncovered in the constituency.
Shrinate alleged that Election Commission software and technology had been used to add, remove and alter voters’ names. “Officials said they did not have access to the software and that the whereabouts of the officer who allegedly carried out the alterations were unknown,” she claimed.
Imran Masood, working president of the UP Congress Committee and MP, said the final draft of the electoral roll under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was released on April 10, 2026.
He said data that emerged between July and September showed that names associated with 13,150 entries in Assembly Constituency No. 127 (Pilibhit Sadar) had been altered, while the original Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) and serial numbers remained unchanged. “As a result, the voter remains entirely unaware that their record has been tampered with,” he said.
Citing an example, Shrinate said an entry linked to an EPIC number ending in 4746 was earlier registered under the name Mohammad Yusuf, a 35-year-old man. The same EPIC number was now registered under the name Hasrat, son of Ramzan Ali, also a 35-year-old man, she alleged. Shrinate appealed to voters to check their names and details in the electoral rolls.
Meanwhile, UP chief electoral officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said the Samajwadi Party (SP) had raised the issue earlier. An SP delegation submitted a memorandum at the CEO’s office on October 19, flagging anomalies in the electoral roll and issues related to EPIC numbers. The Pilibhit district magistrate has been directed to probe the matter as scheduled and submit a report. Action will be taken against the officer concerned if irregularities are found, Rinwa said.
