Uttar Pradesh election authorities have ordered legal action against two serving and former electoral registration officers and dismissed a computer operator after an inquiry found irregularities in 10,470 voter entries in the Pilibhit Assembly constituency.
According to a statement issued by the office of Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa in Lucknow, an inquiry found that a computer assistant at the Voter Registration Centre had entered 13,779 Form-8 applications for changes to voter details between May 31 and August 29, 2026. Of these, 10,470 were approved and 3,309 rejected.
However, the inquiry found that the application forms and supporting documents relating to these entries were not available in the office, the statement said.
The authorities have directed legal action against the computer assistant and the two Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) who were posted in the constituency during the period under scrutiny under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Departmental proceedings have also been initiated against the two officers.
The role of the assistant electoral registration officers is also being examined, according to the statement.
Pilibhit District Magistrate Alok Kumar said departmental inquiries had been initiated against Sub-Divisional Magistrates Mayank Goswami and Hemant Chaudhary, who were responsible for preparing the electoral rolls during the period under scrutiny. Both officers have been attached to the district headquarters.
The computer operator, identified as Anil Kumar, has been dismissed, the district magistrate said.
The irregularities came to light after complaints that some Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers displayed details belonging to other voters.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday alleged large-scale manipulation of electoral rolls in the Pilibhit Sadar Assembly constituency, claiming that 13,150 voters had identical EPIC numbers despite having different names and fathers’ names. The Samajwadi Party also raised similar concerns.
The Congress further alleged that voters’ names had been changed while their EPIC and serial numbers remained the same.
Following the complaints, Chief Electoral Officer Rinwa directed that the ERO and the Voter Registration Centre operator in Pilibhit be removed from voter-list-related duties and that legal action be initiated against them.
The election authorities have also ordered a detailed examination of all Form-6 applications for inclusion of names and Form-7 applications for deletion of names entered by the computer assistant between April 10 and October 21. A report has been sought within a day.
Correction of the irregular Form-8 entries in accordance with prescribed procedures is also underway, the statement said.
