13 entries for ‘Vikas Yadav’ in UP voter list, action against 8 election staff

After Pilibhit, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday ordered the filing of a chargesheet to initiate departmental proceedings against the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) following a preliminary inquiry which corroborated discrepancies in the electoral roll in Azamgarh district of the state.

The CEO has also ordered the removal of five Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and a computer assistant, and the initiation of the procedure for termination of their services. Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to go to polls early next year.

According to the office of the CEO, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had flagged discrepancies in the electoral roll at a press conference on October 15, alleging that the name of a person, identified as Vikas Yadav, was registered 10 times in the voters’ list of Azamgarh Assembly constituency.

“The ERO and AEROs will face action for negligence in the discharge of their official duties and laxity in supervision while carrying out the work of preparing the voters’ list,” CEO Navdeep Rinwa said, adding that the instructions have been issued to take action against the guilty employees and officers under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act.

According to officials, the CEO had sought a detailed inquiry report from the District Election Officer, Azamgarh, after the SP chief had flagged the discrepancies. The CEO’s office said that the inquiry report was received on Saturday, which found that 13 entries bearing the name Vikas Yadav in Hindi appeared in the electoral roll of the 347-Azamgarh constituency.

The report also found that a voter with the same name and father's name belonged to the Chauri-Chaura Assembly constituency in Gorakhpur district and was different from the 13 other entries. Two of the 13 entries had already been deleted as per rules, the statement said.

The remaining 11 entries are related to 11 different individuals in Azamgarh district, who are currently residing in their respective villages. Form-8 has been filled out for correction of the actual names and other details of the other 10 individuals, excluding the actual Vikas Yadav among these 11 persons, the DEO’s report stated.

The CEO has also instructed the Azamgarh DEO to conduct a thorough examination of the voters’ lists of all the Assembly Constituencies in the district, and submit a detailed report within one week. On Thursday, the CEO had said that “irregularities” were found in 10,470 entries in the electoral roll of Pilibhit Sadar Assembly constituency, and ordered legal action against two EROs.

The CEO also announced the termination of services of a computer assistant at the constituency’s Voter Registration Centre. The CEO had ordered an inquiry into the Pilibhit electoral roll following complaints from the Congress and SP that different names were showing up against EPIC numbers of voters who figured in the final electoral roll published on April 10, 2026, after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the state.

Bhupendra Pandey is the Resident Editor of the Lucknow edition of The Indian Express. With decades of experience in the heart of Uttar Pradesh’s journalistic landscape, he oversees the bureau’s coverage of India’s most politically significant state.

His expertise lies in navigating the complex intersections of state governance, legislative policy, and grassroots social movements. From tracking high-stakes assembly elections to analyzing administrative shifts in the Hindi heartland, Bhupendra’s reportage provides a definitive lens on the region's evolution.

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