UP Poll Officer's 'Minority’ Jibe Triggers Row Over ‘Ram Hit Yadav’ Voter List Error

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer’s office on Tuesday apologised for the “tone” and “language” of its remarks after a voter list error triggered a controversy over alleged caste discrimination.

The row erupted after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh questioned Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over an erroneous entry in the voter list for the recent Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections. The name “Ramhit Yadav” had been recorded as “Ram ne Yadav ko Maara”, which translates to “Ram hit Yadav”.

The controversy unfolded amid protests against Kumar over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Singh questioned whether the error reflected caste bias or an agenda favouring a particular political party.

Sanjay Singh Questions CEC Over Voter List Error

In a post on X in Hindi, Singh asked Kumar why the erroneous entry suggested that Ram had hit a person from the Yadav community, rather than someone with another surname.

“Gyanesh Kumar, why did Ram hit only a Yadav? Why did Ram not hit any Singh, Pathak, Asthana, Sharma, Rai or Bisht? Is your computer casteist? Are you running the agenda of any political party?” Singh wrote.

The AAP MP’s remarks drew attention to the voter list entry, which appeared to turn a person's name into a sentence implying an act of violence. Singh questioned whether the error pointed to bias in the electoral process.

UP CEO Cites Similar Error Involving Sharma

In a sarcastic response, the office of Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa cited another instance of a similar error in which the name of a voter’s father, Ravi Sharma, was incorrectly recorded as “Ram ne Sharma ko Maara”, or “Ram hit Sharma”.

The office argued that although an error had occurred, it did not indicate caste discrimination. “A bizarre name, ‘Ram ne Sharma ko maara’ (Ram killed Sharma), has appeared in the voter list for the recent Legislative Council elections. Computers/software are not casteist. We admit that a mistake was made, but fortunately for us, even when the mistake occurred, caste discrimination was not involved,” the UP CEO’s office said in a post on X.

The post also made a sarcastic reference to a hypothetical entry involving a member of a minority community, saying the authorities could otherwise have faced allegations of communalism as well as casteism.

“Thank God, Ram did not kill a member of a minority community. Otherwise, we would have been accused of being communal as well as casteist,” the post said.

Election Office Apologises For Tone And Language

The controversy intensified over the language used in the response to the voter list error. The poll body subsequently apologised for the tone and language of the comment.

The dispute centres on the erroneous entries and the manner in which the electoral authorities responded to questions about them. The episode has also drawn attention amid the wider political confrontation over the SIR exercise and criticism directed at CEC Gyanesh Kumar.