LUCKNOW, March 8 -- Over 70.69 lakh (7.06 million) Form-6 claims for inclusion in the electoral rolls and 2.68 lakh objections seeking deletion of names via Form-7 were received in Uttar Pradesh between January 6 and March 6 as part of the special intensive revision (SIR), UP chief electoral officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said on Saturday. Speaking at a press conference at the Lok Bhavan in Lucknow, Rinwa said that 70,69,810 Form-6 applications were received during the two-month claims and objections period that began after the ECI published the draft roll for the state on January 6 following the enumeration phase of the SIR. The number includes 35,72,603 forms submitted by women and 34,96,911 by men, indicating that applications from women exceeded those from men. As many as 296 applications were submitted by third gender voters. Regarding applications to delete names from the rolls, Rinwa said 2,68,682 Form-7 applications were submitted during this period. The over 70.6 lakh applications received for addition and the 2,68,682 applications received for deletion are much smaller than the 2.89 crore deletions seen in the draft roll, which led to the electoral roll of the state shrinking 19% to 12.55 crore. The applications for inclusion and removal are also much fewer than the over three crore electors in the draft roll who are undergoing hearings in the claims and objections phase, which can lead to further deletions. "Since October 27, 2025, when the SIR exercise was announced, the state has received 8,669,073 Form-6 applications, including 43,06,364 from men, 43,62,323 from women and 386 from third gender voters," Rinwa said. He said notices have been issued to 3.26 crore (32.6 million) voters whose details required verification. This included 1.04 crore (10.4 million) voters whose details were not mapped with the 2003 SIR, and 2.22 million (22.2 crore) voters where discrepancies were found, such as mismatch in names or implausible age gaps between family members. The first notices were issued on January 14, and the hearings began on January 21, Rinwa said, adding that 100% notices have now been generated, while about 93.8% have already been served. "So far, hearings have been completed for around 2.80 crore (28 million) voters, which accounts for about 85.8% of the cases," he said. To facilitate the process, the Election Commission arranged hearings at 5,621 locations across the state and set up help desks to assist voters. Booth level officers also visited households and carried out verification using a mobile application, he added. "About 14% of the hearings are still pending, but with the current pace of work, the process is expected to be completed within the stipulated deadline of March 27," he said....