ECI extends claims, objections window for Uttar Pradesh electoral rolls till March 6

NEw new delhi: The Election charge of bharat (ECI) on th extended the deadline to seek comprehension, correction or deletion of names in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh by a month.The EC extended the cut-off for claims and objections in Uttar Pradesh from February 6 to March 6 following a formal request from the state’s chief electoral officer. The draft rolls were published on January 6, 2026, and the original window ran until February 6, but the Commission granted extra time citing the scale of enumeration and verification, exercising its powers under Rule 12 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.Also Read: Before deleting any name, ECI will issue notice: UP CEOThe announcement comes in the wake of opposition parties alleging mass deletions of voters across the country during the ongoing claims and objections phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. “The decision was taken to ensure wider public participation and improve the accuracy of the rolls in the country’s most populous state,” the commission said.In UP, the revised schedule now provides for disposal of claims and objections till March 27, checking of roll health parameters by April 3, and final publication of the electoral rolls on April 10, 2026. The Commission has directed wide publicity of the revised timeline, reiterating that the SIR is aimed at strengthening electoral integrity and inclusiveness rather than excluding eligible voters.Separately, the ECI had written to the West Bengal government flagging non-cooperation by sections of the state administration in the conduct of the SIR, stressing that district-level support was essential for verification and field checks.This communication came after West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday personally argued her petition before the Supreme Court, urging it to “protect democracy” and “people’s lives”, as the court sought a response from the ECI on withdrawing notices issued to millions of people over minor spelling variations and dialect-based discrepancies in her state.Also Read: SC steps in for Bengal voters feeling SIR ‘stress and strain’In Kolkata, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) said that nearly 6.3 million hearings were pending, maintaining that it was almost impossible to complete the process before the February 7 deadline.Chief electoral officer Manoj Kumar Agarwal on Wednesday insisted that one million hearings related to the ongoing SIR of the electoral rolls were pending in poll-bound West Bengal and that the process was likely to be completed within the Saturday deadline.The SIR is being conducted with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date and forms part of a nationwide exercise announced by the ECI in October 2025 across 12 States and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, among others.