Lucknow: Following the directives received from the Election Commission of India, the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh convened a meeting on March 26, 2025, with representatives of recognized national and state political parties to discuss the continuous revision of voter lists.
During the meeting, political parties were extensively briefed on relevant constitutional provisions, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and other related guidelines. They were also informed about the provisions concerning the publication of draft and final electoral rolls during summary revisions and elections. The provision of providing two copies of the electoral roll (one hard copy and one soft copy) free of cost to political parties was emphasized.
A detailed discussion was held on Forms 6, 7, and 8. Political representatives were informed about:
- Form-6: For inclusion of names in the voter list, particularly for first-time voters.
- Form-7: For deletion of names from the voter list.
- Form-8: For corrections in existing entries, application for duplicate voter ID cards, marking of specially-abled voters, and applications for shifting voters.
Special emphasis was placed on spreading awareness among the public regarding the proper use of Form-8 for changing locations instead of Form-6. The representatives were also informed about the four qualifying dates set by the Election Commission – January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.
The Chief Electoral Officer urged all recognized political parties to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) at polling stations across the state. It was clarified that each recognized political party, through its president, secretary, or any authorized official, must nominate district representatives to appoint BLAs. These BLAs, in turn, must submit their appointment documents to the designated officer/BLO. Each BLA must be a registered voter in the electoral roll of the polling station they are assigned to. Government employees and local authority/PSU staff are not eligible to serve as BLAs.
BLAs are not responsible for collecting claims and objections from the public but should guide citizens in submitting appropriate applications for additions, deletions, transfers, and special category markings. Per Election Commission directives, a BLA cannot submit more than 10 applications in a single day. If a BLA submits over 30 applications during the entire summary revision period, the relevant Electoral Registration Officer/Assistant Electoral Registration Officer will personally cross-verify them. Political parties that have not appointed BLAs will not be allowed to submit bulk applications during the revision period.
For maintaining the integrity of elections, in compliance with Supreme Court orders in Contempt Petition No. 2192/2018 (related to Writ Petition No. 536/2011), the Election Commission has mandated that if a political party selects candidates with criminal backgrounds, they must publicize this information within 48 hours through newspapers, social media platforms, and the party’s website. Additionally, within 72 hours, the party must submit compliance reports in Form C-8 to the Election Commission.
Furthermore, within 30 days of election results, political parties must submit expenditure details related to the publication of criminal cases against their candidates in Form C-5 to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office. This information is then compiled into Form C-6 and sent to the Election Commission of India.
The meeting also covered discussions on the rationalization of polling stations. Representatives of political parties actively shared their views and provided suggestions regarding the voter list revision process.
