A recent voter roll review exercise has flagged a large number of phantom (ghost) voters across Uttar Pradesh, with Kanpur emerging as one of the key urban areas where discrepancies were identified. The review was carried out as part of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive ahead of upcoming elections.
🔍 What Are Phantom Voters?
Phantom voters refer to:
- Names of people who no longer live at the registered address
- Duplicate entries
- Deceased voters still listed
- Migrated individuals not removed from rolls
Officials said many entries were linked to locked houses, vacant plots, or incorrect addresses.
🗂️ Findings of the Review
- Large-scale discrepancies found during door-to-door verification
- Several urban wards in Kanpur reported unusually high mismatches
- Booth Level Officers (BLOs) submitted field reports after physical checks
- Data mismatches detected between old and updated voter databases
🏛️ Official Response
Election authorities clarified that the exercise aims to clean and update electoral rolls, not to disenfranchise genuine voters. Officials urged citizens to cooperate with BLOs and verify their details to ensure accuracy.
Political parties, meanwhile, have reacted strongly, with some alleging selective deletion of voters, while others welcomed the move as necessary for free and fair elections.
⚖️ Political Impact in Kanpur
- Voter list accuracy has become a major political issue
- Parties are increasing ground-level verification
- Possible rise in objections and claims before final roll publication
Kanpur’s dense population and frequent migration make it particularly sensitive to voter list errors, increasing the political significance of this review.
📢 What Voters Should Do
Citizens are advised to:
- Check their names on official voter portals
- Contact their Booth Level Officer (BLO) if details are missing
- Submit required documents promptly
- Track claims and objections within the stipulated timeline