Five Azamgarh Poll Workers Fired as Uttar Pradesh Orders Voter Audit

Eleven active voter-list entries carried the name of one Azamgarh man, Vikas Yadav, though officials found only one belonged to him. The inquiry led election authorities to dismiss five booth-level officers and a contract computer assistant, and order action against three other officials. Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa has now ordered a wider audit of voter forms. ^5,1

The audit covers every Form 6, Form 7 and Form 8 entered by computer assistants since April 10, when the Special Intensive Revision ended. At a meeting on October 24, Rinwa told district and divisional officials that staff responsible for errors could face action under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act. He also barred computer assistants from entering applications submitted on paper. Booth-level officers must enter those forms using an official app and keep the originals safe. ^3,1

Those originals matter because the forms can add a voter, remove an entry or correct details. Errors can keep eligible people off the rolls or leave duplicate entries in place, while the records help officials check what happened. The order also makes supervisors accountable: divisional commissioners must oversee districts, and district election officers may be held responsible for poor supervision. The audit follows concerns in Pilibhit and Azamgarh, where the Congress separately alleged voters were asked to sign correction forms without getting dated receipts. Those claims were party allegations, not findings confirmed by the audit. ^1,4

The audit must be completed alongside daily reviews of pending forms and timely responses to complaints. In Azamgarh, authorities have ordered a review across every assembly constituency, with a report due to Rinwa within a week. Officials must also remove duplicate entries before the draft voter roll is published on November 12. ^5,1