Districts in Uttarakhand with a higher share of Muslim residents recorded greater electoral-roll deletion intensity during the state’s 2026 Special Intensive Revision (SIR), according to an analysis by the Sabar Institute.
The study examined voter deletions across 70 Assembly constituencies in 13 districts and identified 807,410 ASD electors. The institute said this figure is a lower bound because electoral-roll data for 415 of the state’s 12,543 polling parts was unavailable when the analysis was conducted.
The analysis found a Pearson correlation of 0.54 and a Spearman correlation of 0.84 between the Muslim population share of a district and deletion intensity.
The Sabar Institute said the 0.84 Spearman correlation represents a strong rank-level association and argued that the pattern deserves closer scrutiny.
“Independent analysis is precisely how we identify disparities that warrant further investigation, better explanations, stronger safeguards and closer public scrutiny,” the institute said.
Over 8 Lakh Electors Identified
According to the report, 57.7% of the affected electors were recorded as “Permanently Shifted,” 20% as “Untraceable/Absent,” 14.9% under “Death” and 7.4% as “Already Enrolled.”
Women made up 52% of the affected electors, compared with 48% men and 40 third-gender electors.
The report also found that in 45 of Uttarakhand’s 70 Assembly constituencies, the number of deletions was higher than the winning margin recorded in the 2022 Assembly election.
The institute cautioned that the figures should be treated as a lower-bound estimate because not all polling-part data was available.
Muslim Share, Poverty and Scheduled Caste Population
The study also compared deletion intensity with other demographic indicators.
Multidimensional poverty showed a weaker association, with a Pearson correlation of 0.17 and a Spearman correlation of 0.49.
In contrast, the share of the Scheduled Caste population showed a negative association with deletion intensity, with a Pearson correlation of -0.65 and a Spearman correlation of -0.53.
The institute stressed that these statistical patterns do not by themselves establish discrimination or administrative misconduct. Instead, it said they identify areas that require further examination and stronger safeguards.
Surname Patterns Also Examined
The report analysed surnames among deleted electors and listed names such as Ali, Khan, Ahamad, Begam, Husain and Jahan. However, the institute clarified that surnames were not used to establish the religion of individual voters.
The findings come amid wider concerns surrounding the SIR exercise and its possible impact on vulnerable groups, including Muslims, women, migrants, elderly people and those with limited documentary records.
A separate investigation by Newslaundry also reported large numbers of objections against Muslim voters in several Uttarakhand constituencies, including Kichha, Gadarpur, Khatima, Nanakmatta and Rudrapur.
Calls for Greater Scrutiny
The Sabar Institute said maintaining accurate electoral rolls is important but argued that accuracy must be accompanied by transparency, accountability, accessible appeals and safeguards against wrongful exclusion.
It also called for independent research into voter deletions, appeals, restoration of names, adjudication delays, demographic patterns, documentary requirements and the use of automated or “logical discrepancy” filters.
“The data deserves scrutiny. The patterns deserve answers,” the institute said.
