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As of February 19, 2026, the Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission is facing a monumental logistical nightmare. With the deadline for voter verification set for tomorrow, February 20, nearly 2.81 crore potential "duplicate" voters across the state still await physical verification.
This cleanup is critical for the upcoming 2026 Panchayat Elections, yet the slow pace of ground-level work has left officials and citizens wondering: How will this be completed in just 24 hours?
The Magnitude of the Task
The State Election Commission's software identified a staggering 5.01 crore potential duplicate voters—individuals whose names, father/husband names, and genders matched exactly across different entries.
The Current Gap: Out of the 5.01 crore suspect entries, only about 44% have been verified.
The Pending List: Roughly 2,81,71,203 voters (56.17%) are still in the "pending" category.
The Goal: To ensure that valid voters remain on the list while ghost entries, deceased individuals, or duplicate registrations are purged.
Regional Performance: Top Performers vs. Lagging Districts
The efficiency of the verification drive varies wildly across Uttar Pradesh's 75 districts.
| District | Verification Pending (%) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Unnao | 6.92% | Best Performing – Nearly finished. |
| Lalitpur | 91.49% | Worst Performing – Massive backlog. |
| Bareilly | 56.55% | Struggling – Over 5 lakh voters left. |
Why the Delay?
Despite repeated warnings from the State Election Commission, the speed of feeding and verification at the Tehsil and Gram Panchayat levels has remained sluggish.
Sheer Volume: Verification requires Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to physically visit homes to confirm the resident's status.
Technical Feeding: Even after physical verification, the data entry into the state portal is trailing behind.
Staffing Pressure: Officials are currently balancing this drive with ongoing budget sessions and other administrative duties.
What Happens Next?
The Commission has made it clear that February 20 is the final date for this phase of the cleanup. If the work isn't finished, there is a significant risk of either:
Inaccurate Lists: Duplicate voters remaining, leading to potential electoral fraud.
Mass Deletions: Valid voters being accidentally purged if the verification isn't finalized in time.
For the citizens of UP, this is the final window to ensure their local representation is decided by a clean, transparent, and accurate voter roll.
Read More: A Race Against Time UP’s Massive Battle to Verify 2.81 Crore Suspect Voters
