Uttar Pradesh’s voter registration drive reaches a crucial deadline on October 24, with eligible residents urged to submit Form 6 for possible inclusion in the draft electoral roll due on November 12. The urgency follows a gap of nearly 2.7 crore between the state’s projected adult population and the number of registered electors, according to electoral data and population projections cited by the Times of India.
Uttar Pradesh is projected to have 16.17 crore residents aged 18 and above in 2026, based on projections prepared by the National Commission on Population under the Union health and family welfare ministry. However, the electoral roll contained 13,46,77,027 registered voters as of October 7, equivalent to 83.30% of the projected adult population.
The difference should not be read automatically as the number of eligible people missing from the electoral rolls. An official source told the Times of India that population projections are estimates, while registration depends on citizenship, ordinary residence and other statutory eligibility conditions. Migration, demographic changes and errors in population estimates may also influence the gap.
The figures nevertheless show notable differences by gender. The projected adult female population is 7,84,09,000, compared with 6,12,95,498 registered women electors, a difference of 1,71,13,502. For men, the projected adult population is 8,32,76,000, against 7,33,77,447 registered male electors, leaving a gap of 98,98,553. The elector-to-population ratio is 52.60% among women and 58.08% among men.
First-time voters also remain substantially under-represented in the current roll. Against a projected population of 84,47,000 people aged 18 to 19 in 2026, only 19,61,585 electors in that age group were registered as of October 7. That amounts to 23.22% of the projected population in the age bracket.
Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer Navdeep Rinwa told the Times of India that Form 6 applications submitted by October 24 would be considered for inclusion in the draft roll, subject to scrutiny and completion of the prescribed process. Special enrolment camps are scheduled at polling booths, where booth-level officers will assist applicants.
The practical deadline is linked to the processing time for applications. A Form 6 request normally takes eight to nine days, including a mandatory seven-day period during which application details are displayed publicly. Electoral rolls will be frozen on November 2 to facilitate polling-station rationalisation and redistribution of electors, with a ceiling of 1,200 voters per booth.
Applications submitted between October 25 and November 11 are being discussed with the Election Commission of India, according to the chief electoral officer. The October 24 cut-off is therefore not the final opportunity to register before the Assembly elections. During the claims and objections period from November 12 to December 11, people who will turn 18 by January 1, 2027, will also be able to submit Form 6. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on January 4, 2027, after claims and objections are to be disposed of by December 28.
