Prayagraj sees drop of 8.26L voters in final SIR list

Prayagraj: The final electoral roll published on Friday after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has shown a sharp decline of over 8.26 lakh voters in Prayagraj district.The total number of registered electors now stands at 38,65,975, down from 46,92,860 voters recorded when the revision exercise began on Oct 27, 2025, officials said.The SIR was launched by the Election Commission of India to ensure accuracy and authenticity of electoral rolls. As part of the exercise, door-to-door verification was conducted across all 12 assembly constituencies in the district. Special camps were also organised at polling stations, where voters were asked to fill enumeration forms. Officials further cross-verified current voter data with the 2003 electoral roll to identify duplicate, shifted, deceased and ineligible entries. During the initial phase, over 11.56 lakh names were identified for deletion owing to factors such as migration, deaths or non-availability of voters at their registered addresses. Following this, the draft electoral roll published on Jan 6, 2026, reflected a reduced voter count of 35,36,555.A window for claims and objections was subsequently opened till March 27, 2026, allowing eligible citizens to submit Form-6 applications for inclusion, correction or deletion. After verification and disposal of claims, 3,29,420 new voters were added, taking the final tally to 38.65 lakh.Among the 12 constituencies, Allahabad North recorded the maximum reduction, with around 1.45 lakh names deleted from the voter list. Other assembly segments also witnessed significant changes in voter numbers, reflecting the impact of the large-scale verification drive.District election officer and DM Prayagraj Manish Kumar Verma released the final electoral roll and handed copies to representatives of recognised political parties on Friday. He said the exercise was conducted in a transparent and systematic manner to ensure an accurate and error-free voter list.Verma added that eligible citizens who have been left out or have recently attained voting age can continue to apply for inclusion through Form-6, as updating of electoral rolls remains an ongoing process in line with Election Commission guidelines.