'Thank God Ram did not hit a minority': UP chief electoral officer on caste bias allegations amid voter slip row

Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer Navdeep Rinwa on Monday said computers and software were not casteist after an error in a voter slip triggered allegations of caste bias. The row erupted after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh questioned chief election commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over a voter slip in which the name 'Ramhit Yadav' appeared as 'Ram ne Yadav ko Maara' (Ram hit Yadav).

On X, Singh asked why the software appeared to have singled out a Yadav and whether the error reflected caste bias or a political agenda. Rinwa responded by cited another unusual entry found in the voter list prepared for the recently held Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council elections.

"An unusual name, 'Ram ne Sharma ko Maara', is also present in the voter list of the recent legislative council elections. Computers/software are not casteist," he said. Acknowledging the error, Rinwa added, "Thank God that Ram did not hit a minority. Otherwise, besides being accused of casteism, we would have also faced allegations of communalism."

The CEO's office also shared a voter slip from the graduate constituency elections. While the voter's name was listed as Ravi Sharma, his father's name appeared as "Ram ne Sharma ko Maara".

UP CEO explains how software errors occurred

Rinwa had earlier explained that the software used to prepare electoral records was designed to transliterate names entered in English into Hindi. However, in some cases, it translated words instead of converting their script, leading to incorrect entries.

For instance, when "Ramhit Yadav" was incorrectly entered as "Ram Hit Yadav", the software interpreted the words as a sentence and produced "Ram ne Yadav ko Maara" in Hindi.

According to Rinwa, the errors could have been corrected through the software's editing feature, but some remained in the final electoral rolls. Another reported discrepancy, in which "B.Com" appeared in the field meant for a father's name, was attributed to possible human error or negligence.

Rinwa warns against circulation of forged voter slips

In a separate post on X, the CEO said the reasons behind the unusual entries were being investigated and that steps were being taken to prevent similar errors.

He also warned that some forged voter slips had circulated on social media and were being shared by prominent individuals and established media outlets. Rinwa said those responsible for forgery would face action under the law.

The CEO asked people to verify information about electoral rolls with the concerned officials before sharing or publishing it as fact, adding that officials would respond to queries seeking factual clarification.

Polling for 11 seats in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council was held on October 23, with counting scheduled for October 27.