SP Questions Polling Booth Reductions Ahead of UP Assembly Elections

Lucknow, November 14 (Daily Kiran) : The Samajwadi Party (SP) has raised serious objections to the recent restructuring of polling booths in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. Allegations have emerged that, under pressure from BJP leaders, polling stations for SP-supporting voters have been moved three to four kilometers away from their villages.

In a memorandum submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh, the SP claimed that the changes violate the Election Commission’s guidelines. Led by state president Shyam Lal Pal, a delegation submitted the memorandum on Saturday, following directives from SP national president Akhilesh Yadav.

The party noted that after the Special Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR) process, there were 177,516 polling booths in the state as of April 10, 2026. Following a special campaign for booth restructuring, this number has decreased to 173,730, resulting in a loss of 3,886 polling booths statewide.

The memorandum accused district officials and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) of succumbing to pressure from state government ministers, BJP MPs, and party officials to alter polling booth locations. Consequently, many voters will now have to travel distances exceeding the Commission’s maximum limit of two kilometers, with some even needing to cross canals to reach their polling stations. The SP cited specific examples from Shahganj assembly constituency in Jaunpur to illustrate their grievances.

One notable change involves the polling booth for Sheikhahi village, which has been moved from the primary school to the Panchayat Bhawan, located about two and a half kilometers away, separated by two canals. The party described this relocation as highly inconvenient for voters and called for the restoration of the original polling station. Similar objections were raised regarding the relocation of polling sites in Ukha village.

Concerns were also voiced about the transfer of voters from Madwa Mohiuddinpur to Nijmapur, the shifting of the polling station in Sheikhwalia from Rasulpur to Dipai, and changes affecting multiple villages in the Khuthan area. The memorandum mentioned several villages, including Kairadiha, Khuthan, Kazishahpur, Niranjanpur, Chakbarna, Chak Fatehpur, Bhatpura, and Vishunpur, where polling booths have been altered despite the presence of primary schools nearby.

The SP argued that voters are being sent to distant polling locations without proper access routes. They urged the Election Commission to investigate these changes in accordance with the standards and guidelines outlined in the “Manual on Polling Stations.”

To ensure that the 2027 assembly elections are conducted in a free, fair, transparent, and fearless manner, the SP called for a restructuring of polling booths prioritizing voter convenience and restoring previous locations where irregularities have occurred.