BJP agent: AAP slams UP CEO after objectionable remarks on X

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) issued an apology on Tuesday, October 27, after his objectionable comments on the official X handle sparked outrage.

A day ago, State Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa made controversial remarks while responding to a video of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh, who alleged absurd irregularities in the state’s voter list, which included names such as “Ram killed Yadav.” Singh questioned how the state election commission’s computer system could make such casteist remarks.

“Why did Ram ultimately kill a ‘Yadav’ specifically? Why didn’t Ram kill a Singh, Pathak, Asthana, Sharma, Rai, or Bisht? Is your computer deeply casteist? Are you pushing some party’s agenda?” the AAP leader wrote on X.

The UP CEO’s official account responded, saying, “The electoral roll for the recent Legislative Council elections also contains a bizarre name: Ram ne Sharma ko mara (Ram killed Sarma).”

Computers and software are not casteist; while errors are bound to happen, it is fortunate that, in this instance, no caste-based bias was involved, the post read.

हालिया विधान परिषद के चुनाव की मतदाता सूची में एक अजीबोगरीब नाम “राम ने शर्मा को मारा” भी है। कंप्यूटर/सॉफ्टवेयर जातिवादी नहीं है। हमारे द्वारा गलती किया जाना स्वीकार है लेकिन हमारे सौभाग्य से गलती होते समय भी जाति का भेदभाव नहीं हुआ है। भगवान का यह भी शुक्र है की राम ने किसी… https://t.co/nnVPWpH3wb pic.twitter.com/txG4odd7xP

— CEO Uttar Pradesh (@ceoup) October 25, 2026

‘Proves CEO is a BJP agent’

The CEO added, “We must also thank God that Ram did not kill any minority. Otherwise, in addition to being casteist, there would also be an accusation of being communal.”

The post received massive backlash for failing to address the issue and instead hitting back at allegations with a retort. According to Singh, the response proves that the constitutional position was being run by a “BJP agent.”

The Election Commission’s remark—that ‘the software is not casteist’—and the comment that ‘thankfully, Ram did not kill any member of a minority community, otherwise there would have been accusations of communalism’ prove that an agent of the BJP is occupying a constitutional position. With such an official in place, fair elections are not possible in Uttar Pradesh; strict action must be taken against him,” said Singh during a press conference in Lucknow.

Following the widespread outrage, the Chief Electoral Officer said he has noted the “genuine outrage” and apologised to those who were “surprised or upset” over the post.

UP CEO assures to keep communication formal

“The language, level, tone, and sharp nature of the comments in the quoted post of this handle are not in line with the nature of communication expected from this official handle,” the post on X read.

“The genuine outrage generated by the comments in the post has been duly noted. We sincerely apologise to those who are surprised and upset by this,” it said.

The tone and tenor and the acerbic nature of the comments in the quoted post of this handle is not in line with the nature of communication expected from this official handle. The genuine outrage generated by the comments in the post has been well noted. We offer our sincere… https://t.co/bREEam4H9d

— CEO Uttar Pradesh (@ceoup) October 27, 2026

The UP Chief Electoral Officer gave assurances that going forward, all communications will be handled with professionalism and politeness.

In another post on X, the UP CEO said action would be taken against those responsible for forging voter rolls and appealed to the public and the media to verify claims before posting them on social media.

“During recently held MLC elections in UP, some bizarre-looking names appeared in the voter list. The reasons for such mistakes happening are being looked into, and appropriate action is being taken to prevent any recurrence. It is being informed that some forged voter slips have also gone viral, which are being displayed/mentioned by many established media outlets and prominent persons. The person responsible for the forgery will be dealt with as per law.”

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