Lucknow, October 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday called for linking electoral rolls with Aadhaar and introducing biometric verification at polling booths, arguing that the measures were necessary to address alleged irregularities and manipulation of voter lists.
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Yadav accused the Centre and the Election Commission of India (ECI) of allowing electoral rolls to be tampered with and elections to be rigged. He alleged that such practices were weakening democracy and eroding public confidence in constitutional institutions.
“The government that shuns questions weakens democracy,” Yadav said, calling for the use of modern technology to safeguard the integrity of elections.
“Voter lists should be linked with Aadhaar, and a biometric system should be introduced at the polling booths. It should not be optional, and everyone should be added. These devices are not very expensive, and technology can help rectify irregularities,” he said.
Raising concerns about duplicate entries in electoral rolls, the SP chief alleged that the same names appeared multiple times in voter lists and accused the BJP of benefiting electorally from such discrepancies.
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Yadav claimed that more than 2,000 entries under the name “Sunita, wife of Rajesh” had been found across Uttar Pradesh. The allegation was not independently verified.
He said the Election Commission was responsible for ensuring that every eligible citizen could exercise their right to vote while preventing ineligible names from appearing on electoral rolls.
According to Yadav, although preventing the creation of duplicate voter IDs could be challenging, the Election Commission could significantly reduce such irregularities by using technology to investigate discrepancies.
The SP chief’s criticism of the Centre and the poll panel came as he welcomed leaders from other political parties into the Samajwadi Party.
Those who joined the SP in his presence included former BJP MLAs Sinod Shakya and Kushagra Sagar, former IAS officer Ram Bahadur Pasi, BJP leader Chandra Kumar Mishra and Dara Singh Prajapati, who was previously associated with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Yadav said the SP had experience in coalition politics and would work with its allies to defeat the BJP. He also urged party workers to strengthen the organisation at the booth level.
The SP chief further claimed that several BJP MLAs were interested in switching allegiance, signalling possible political realignments ahead.
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