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

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday demanded that the Uttar Pradesh government make public the progress of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and ensure that Booth Level Officers are not subjected to "life-threatening pressure".

He also urged the Election Commission and the administration to deploy "additional authorised personnel" so that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are not "overburdened".

In a post on X in Hindi, Yadav sought immediate publication of the percentage of SIR work completed in the state.

Stating that transparency in the electoral roll revision was "non-negotiable", the former chief minister said it must be ensured that "those in power and their associates are not involved in this exercise from the backdoor, now or ever".

Yadav further alleged that attempts were being made to delete names of people belonging to the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpasankhyak) communities in various assembly constituencies.

The central lawmaker from Kannauj also demanded a thorough investigation into such complaints and said the government must prevent any such move "at all costs".

Uttar Pradesh has witnessed multiple cases of suicides and deaths of BLOs and other officials involved in the SIR in the state, allegedly linked to overwork, stress and harassment.

On November 30, the EC extended the entire schedule for the ongoing SIR exercise in nine states and three Union territories by a week, amid allegations by opposition parties that the "tight timelines" were causing problems for people and ground-level poll officials.

The EC announced the SIR in the nine states and three Union territories on October 27. Nearly 51 crore electors will be covered in the massive voter-list cleanup exercise.

These states and Union territories are -- the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Uttar Pradesh is scheduled for panchayat polls in 2026 and the state assembly elections in 2027.