“Missing Voters Again?” Civil Society Raises Alarm Over Panchayat Polls in Uttarakhand
Dehradun, June 22 – With the announcement of panchayat elections in Uttarakhand scheduled for July, civil society organisations have flagged serious concerns about potential large-scale omissions in the voters list — a problem that plagued the recent urban local body elections too.
Nearly 48 lakh voters are expected to cast their votes in these rural elections.
But activists are questioning how the total voter base in the state seems to have mysteriously shrunk.
In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, over 84 lakh voters were registered in Uttarakhand.
But combining the urban body polls held in January 2025 (30 lakh voters) and the upcoming panchayat elections (48 lakh), the total comes to just 78 lakh voters — a worrying gap of over 6 lakh.
One of the strongest voices raising this issue is Anoop Nautiyal, founder of the SDC Foundation, a leading Dehradun-based think tank.
“It is deeply concerning that such a large number of voters seem to have vanished from the rolls between the Lok Sabha elections and now,” said Nautiyal.
“We are looking at a possible systemic failure. The Election Commission must act swiftly to address these discrepancies. Every citizen’s right to vote is sacrosanct in a democracy.”
“We can’t afford a repeat of that chaos in rural Uttarakhand,” he stressed.
“We urge the State Election Commission to release updated and verified electoral rolls well in advance, and to ensure transparency at every step of the process.”
Civil society groups have also urged citizens to proactively check their names in the rolls and report errors early.
“Don’t assume your name is there — verify it,” said another activist.
As the countdown to the polls begins, all eyes are now on the Uttarakhand State Election Commission, which is yet to issue a formal clarification on the discrepancies flagged.
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