UP ministers with narrow 2022 wins see sharpest voter cuts after SIR | Lucknow News – The Times of India

LUCKNOW: The electoral data from Uttar Pradesh reveals a striking and politically sensitive pattern: ministers who secured victory in 2022 with the narrowest margins are disproportionately linked to the highest number of voter deletions after the SIR exercise, completed on April 10, 2026.Among current ministers who narrowly won in 2022, constituencies such as Baraut, Bilaspur, Sitapur, Shahjahanpur, Mainpuri, and Meerut South stand out. In Baraut, State Minister Krishan Pal Malik won by a razor-thin 315 votes, yet his constituency witnessed voter deletions amounting to 157 times the victory margin . Similarly, Bilaspur’s Baldev Singh Aulakh, who won by 307 votes, saw deleted voters exceeding 100 times his winning margin.

Sitapur offered an equally stark example—State Minister Rakesh Rathour Guru’s victory margin of just 1,253 votes stands dwarfed by deletions 75 times larger (95,032 deletions).

Even where ministers enjoy cabinet rank, the pattern holds. In Shahjahanpur, Cabinet Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna won with a margin of 9,313, but post-SIR deletions were over 11 times that margin. Meerut South (7,942 margin) shows deletions nearly 15 times the margin, Mainpuri (6,766 margin) and Hastinapur (7,312 margin) show deletion multiples above 6 to 7 times.

In contrast, ministers who won with large margins appear relatively insulated. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s margin of over 1 lakh votes corresponds to deletions just 0.32 times his margin, while Mehroni and Khair also remain below 1x.This trend becomes even more pronounced when compared with former ministers who lost in 2022. Constituencies like Dibiyapur, Itwa, Baheri, and Sirathu demonstrate that high voter deletions were already present where margins were thin or declining.

Dibiyapur is the most extreme case: former minister Lakhan Singh Rajput lost by just 473 votes, but voter deletions post-SIR were nearly 68 times the loss margin. In Itwa, a loss margin of 1,662 votes coincided with deletions 24 times higher.When compared with ministers who lost in 2022, including several former heavyweights, the trend becomes even more pronounced. Constituencies like Dibiyapur, Itwa, Baheri, and Sirathu demonstrate that high voter deletions were already present where margins were thin or declining.For example, Dibiyapur is the most extreme case: former minister Lakhan Singh Rajput lost by just 473 votes, but voter deletions post-SIR were nearly 68 times the loss margin. In Itwa, a loss margin of 1,662 votes coincided with deletions 24 times higher. Former basic education minister Satish Chandra Dwivedi had lost Itwa in 2022.Notably, high-profile losses such as Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya (Sirathu) show deletion at 7.23 times the losing margin, while others like Suresh Rana and Sangeet Som range between 3 to 4 times.