Lucknow, February 9: The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Uttar Pradesh, Navdeep Rinhwa, has initiated a comprehensive campaign aimed at enhancing the inclusivity and empowerment of the voter list. This initiative, under Special Revision-2026, focuses on increasing participation among eligible youth and women.
During a review meeting conducted via video conferencing on Sunday, Rinhwa engaged with sub-district electoral officers and officials from various departments, including Development, Health, Women’s Welfare, Secondary and Higher Education, the National Rural Livelihood Mission, and Urban Development.
The CEO highlighted that a significant number of eligible youth aged 18 to 20 are still missing from the voter list. He urged all educational institutions, including universities, colleges, medical, and engineering schools, to raise awareness about voting rights through voter literacy clubs and to ensure these students are registered as part of the campaign.
Rinhwa instructed that assistant electoral registration officers should set up special camps in educational institutions to assist eligible youth in filling out Form-6, either online via the portal or mobile app, or offline through booth-level officers. He emphasized that all youths who turn 18 by January 1, 2026, must be registered, while those who will reach 18 by October 1, 2026, can be encouraged to fill out advance Form-6.
The CEO reported that as of October 27, 2025, the ratio of women to men in the voter list was 877 per 1,000 men. However, this number dropped to 824 in the draft voter list released on January 6, 2026, indicating that many women were excluded due to incomplete forms. Particularly, newly married women often miss registration due to address changes. Rinhwa directed that women from self-help groups linked to the National Rural Livelihood Mission, along with health department workers and Anganwadi supervisors, should assist in identifying adolescent girls and newly married women to fill out Form-6.
He stated that active participation of women is crucial for strengthening democracy and advancing women’s empowerment. The CEO instructed all officials to conduct a special voter registration campaign over the next 15 days, promote it widely through print, electronic, and social media, and provide adequate training to personnel assisting with Form-6 submissions to ensure no eligible citizen is left off the voter list.