Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa's office in Lucknow issued a statement on Thursday confirming that a detailed inquiry revealed 10,470 flawed voter entries in the Pilibhit Assembly constituency. The irregularities traced back to a computer assistant at the Voter Registration Centre who processed 13,779 Form-8 applications for changes in voter details between May 31 and August 29, 2026. Authorities approved 10,470 of these applications and rejected 3,309, but no original application forms or supporting records could be located in the office files.
The discovery of missing documentation triggered immediate administrative and legal responses. Departmental inquiries have been initiated against Sub-Divisional Magistrates Mayank Goswami and Hemant Chaudhary, who served as electoral registration officers in the constituency during the period under scrutiny. Both officers have been attached to the district headquarters, and the computer operator, identified as Anil Kumar, has been dismissed. District Magistrate Alok Kumar confirmed these actions to reporters on Thursday evening, noting that the officers were directly responsible for preparing the voter list during the flagged period.
The controversy erupted after complaints surfaced that certain Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers displayed details belonging to other voters. The Uttar Pradesh Congress alleged that 13,150 voters in the Pilibhit Sadar constituency had identical EPIC numbers despite having different names and fathers' names. The Samajwadi Party raised similar concerns, prompting CEO Rinwa to direct the immediate removal of the ERO and VRC operator from voter-list-related duties and to initiate legal proceedings.
Legal action against the computer assistant and the two EROs will proceed under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The election authorities have also ordered a detailed examination of all Form-6 applications for inclusion of names and Form-7 applications for deletion of names entered by the computer assistant between April 10 and October 21. A report on this audit is due within a day, and correction of the irregular Form-8 entries is already underway in accordance with prescribed norms.