It is very important for every citizen in India to be a voter. Every vote is precious on election day and this shows the strength of democracy. But many times it happens that we think that we have registered on time, yet our name does not appear in the voter list. Keeping this problem in mind, the Election Commission of India (ECI) updates the voter list every year.

The draft voter list for 2026 has been released under Special Intensive Revision (SIR). This list is for those who have recently applied to add their names to the voter list. But the question arises that what will happen if my name is not in this new list. Will I be able to vote in the elections? So let us know why the name may be missing in the new voter list, how to check it and what steps should be taken if the name is not there.

What is the new SIR Draft Voter List 2026?

SIR stands for Special Intensive Revision. The purpose of this process is to add names of new eligible voters, delete names of dead or transferred voters and clear duplicate entries. This process is very important in big states like Uttar Pradesh, because hundreds of lakhs of voters live here.

Under the SIR of 2026, there are about 12.55 crore potential voters in UP and about 2.89 crore names have been cut. The draft voter list is just a preliminary list. This means that if your name is there then your application is on the right track, but the final confirmation will come only from the final voter list to be released on March 6, 2026.

How to check your name online?

1. You can easily check at home whether your name is in the list or not. For this, visit the website of the Election Commission. electoralsearch.eci.gov.inGo to.

2. Click on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 in the pop-up.

3. Enter EPIC number or name.

4. Fill the captcha code and press SEARCH button

5. If your name is there, then details of district, assembly constituency and polling booth will be visible.

6. If there is no name, then No Result Found will appear.

What to do if there is no name?

If your name is not in the draft list or is appearing wrong, then the Election Commission has suggested several ways for this. If you were never registered before or your name is missing then fill Form 6 online or go to your BLO (Booth Level Officer) and submit it. If the name is there but the details are wrong (like father’s name, address or age) then get the correction done through Form 8. If someone else’s name is wrongly added in the draft list, then submit Form 7. Always check online that your name has been added correctly. Stay alert till the final list comes.

How will you be able to vote?

If the name is not there, then apply immediately. After this wait till the final list comes. The draft list is only preliminary. The final final list will be released on 6 March 2026. Only then will your name definitely be ready for voting. Also, the name must be in the final list. Carry EPIC/Voter ID card with you.

If your name is not there, you will not be able to vote. So check your name and details ahead of time. Update your address when you move to a new area. Keep a digital and print copy of your EPIC number. Get correct and complete information from the official website of the Election Commission and BLO only.

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Election reforms are being discussed in the winter session of Parliament on Tuesday (9 December). In which the opposition parties are giving their displeasure and arguments regarding the current SIR process. Meanwhile, Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has also put forward three demands from her party amid the election reform discussion. In this, he demanded to extend the time limit of SIR process in UP, among the leaders with criminal image, the leader should be held responsible instead of the party and to hold elections twice through ballot paper instead of EVM.

BSP supremo Mayawati rejected the argument of the Election Commission which said that ballot paper would take more time. Mayawati made a post this afternoon on her social media account X regarding these three demands.

‘Sir The deadline should be extended immediately.

BSP supremo Mayawati said that BSP is not against the system which is running in the entire country regarding SIR. But BSP says that in this regard, whatever process is to be done to fill the names in the voter list, the time limit set for it is very short, due to which there is a lot of pressure on the BLOs and many BLOs have even lost their lives due to the pressure of work. Where there are crores of voters, BLOs should get proper time and especially in a state where there are no elections anytime soon.

The former CM said, “There are more than 15.40 crore voters in Uttar Pradesh and if an attempt is made to complete the SIR work there in a hurry, then the result will be that many legitimate voters, especially those who are poor and have gone out for work, then their names will be left out of the voter list and they will be deprived of the constitutional right to vote given to such persons by Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.” Which would be completely unfair. Therefore, instead of rushing to complete the SIR process, appropriate time should be given, that is, the present time limit should be extended.

Stop putting the entire burden of criminal candidates on the party

He said, “Regarding his second demand, he wrote that instructions have been issued by the Election Commission as per the directions of the Supreme Court. Such people, who have any criminal history, will have to give complete details of their criminal history in their affidavit and along with this they will also have to publish the complete details in the local newspapers. And it will also be the responsibility of the political party from which they are contesting the elections to publish this information in the national newspapers as well.”

Mayawati said, “In this regard, BSP says that it has often been found that among the people who are given tickets/symbols to contest elections, some people do not disclose their criminal history to the party and in respect of some people, the party comes to know about it only at the time of scrutiny, due to which the responsibility falls on the party and anyway, the responsibility of publishing the criminal history of such candidates in the national newspapers lies with the party. It has been inserted above.”

The former Chief Minister said, “Whereas in this regard, our party’s suggestion is that the responsibility of completing all the formalities regarding candidates with criminal background should be put on them and not on the party. And if in future it is known that a candidate has hidden his criminal history, then every kind of legal action and responsibility related to it should also fall on him and not on the party.”

‘EVM But don’t trust’

On behalf of the BSP, Mayawati once again raised the issue of EVM prominently, saying, “In order to remove the complaints of frequent irregularities in EVMs which are expressed during and after the elections and to create full confidence of everyone in the election process, now instead of voting through EVMs, the process of voting through ballot papers should be implemented again and if for some reason this cannot be done now, then at least in the VVPAT box.” All the slips that fall during voting should be counted and matched with the EVM votes in all the booths.

Mayawati further said, “The reason given by the Election Commission for not doing this is that it will take a lot of time, whereas their argument is not justified at all. Because if only a few more hours are spent in counting, then it should not make any difference, whereas the election process of casting votes lasts for months. And this is also necessary because this will increase the confidence of the general public of the country in the election process and will also put a complete stop to many such doubts that arise, which is in the interest of the country. Will happen.”

However, amidst the election reform discussion, these three demands by BSP have worked as a lifeline for the opposition in putting pressure on the Election Commission and the government.