A comparison of the 2003 and 2026 electoral rolls in two villages of Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district has shown a significant change in the number and composition of registered voters.
In Bagharu village of Duddhi tehsil, the number of Muslim voters increased from 430 in 2003 to 902 in 2026, a rise of about 110 percent. The number of Hindu voters increased from 2,864 to 3,621 during the same period, a rise of around 29 percent.
The total number of voters in Bagharu also increased from 3,292 in 2003 to 4,523 in 2026. The district’s election office has made the final SIR 2026 electoral rolls available on its website.
Muslim Voters Rise 32.6% in Panaura
A similar change has been reported from Panaura village in Robertsganj tehsil.
According to the electoral roll figures, Panaura had 359 Muslim voters and 380 Hindu voters in 2003. In 2026, the number of Muslim voters increased to 496, a rise of 32.6 percent, while Hindu voters increased to 403, or about 8 percent.
The total number of registered voters in the village increased from 739 to 899 over the same period.
The increase in voter numbers does not by itself establish the reason for the change. Voter rolls can change because of new registrations, migration, deaths, deletions and other electoral roll revisions.
District officials have said that the reasons behind the increase in voters are being examined.
Land Transfer Cases Under Investigation
The voter list comparison has also drawn attention to land related disputes in both villages. Local reports have carried allegations that people from outside the villages acquired tribal and other protected land through disputed transactions.
In Bagharu, the administration has already taken action in a case involving the transfer of Scheduled Tribe land. District Magistrate Charchit Gaur said the administration had found irregularities in several land transactions and that the matter had also reached the Allahabad High Court.
The Allahabad High Court recently dismissed petitions challenging orders passed by the Duddhi Deputy Collector in the case. The court upheld orders declaring certain land transfers void and allowing the administration to proceed with the vesting of the land.
High Court Examines Tribal Identity
The case involved a woman identified in court records as Nanhki alias Naimunnisha. The court examined whether she had continued to retain her identity and connection with the Bhuiyan Scheduled Tribe at the time of the land transactions.
The High Court held that an ST certificate alone was not sufficient to establish continuing tribal status in the circumstances of the case. It considered factors including continued connection with the community, its customs and social life.
The court upheld the Deputy Collector’s January 22, 2026 orders concerning the disputed land transactions.
Meanwhile, the Sonbhadra administration has said that land records and related cases in Bagharu and Panaura are being examined. The administration has also said that the reasons behind the changes in voter numbers will be investigated.
