New Delhi: Software errors have led to bizarre entries in Uttar Pradesh’s Legislative Council voter list. Names such as ‘Ram ne Yadav ko maara’ and ‘Takkar Marna’ have made it onto the list, leading to widespread outrage. For one voter, the father’s name was recorded as ‘B.Com’.
The state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) identified 158 such entries among 14,81,310 records and sought explanations from the officials responsible. The errors came to light in the electoral rolls for the Legislative Council elections to five graduate and six teachers’ constituencies, with polling scheduled for 23 October. This was the first time that Uttar Pradesh introduced an online platform for registrations.
In a post on X, the CEO’s office stated the portal was developed to facilitate applications and the preparation and publication of draft and final electoral rolls within the prescribed timeline. However, the process of transliterating names resulted in some unusual translations.
Explaining the error, the CEO’s office said that if a voter’s name was Ramhit Yadav, it was mistakenly typed as “Ram hit Yadav”. The software then translated it into “Ram ne Yadav ko maara” instead of rendering the name phonetically in Hindi.
Who is responsible?
Other incorrectly entered names include ‘Takkar Marna’ and ‘Moorkh Kali Devi’.
The office said that while the software-related errors could have been corrected through the available editing facility, some remained in the final rolls because the personnel responsible did not check the entries carefully. The name ‘B.Com’ was attributed to human error or negligence.
The electoral registration officer (ERO) for a constituency is the divisional commissioner, while the district magistrates concerned serve as assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs). Maintaining error-free electoral rolls is their responsibility, the CEO’s office said, adding that explanations had been sought from the officials concerned.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)
Also read: Delhi Police allows Diljit Dosanjh’s concert after reviewing BookMyShow’s security plan