Amethi: Former Union Minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Smriti Irani has been left out of the panchayat voter list for Medan Mawai village in Uttar Pradesh. Taking note of this high profile omission, Amethi District Magistrate Sanjay Chauhan has ordered a formal inquiry to ascertain the exact reasons behind the discrepancy.
The issue came to light following the final publication of the three tier panchayat electoral roll on June 10. The development has triggered widespread discussion in political circles since Irani’s name continues to be present in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly electoral rolls for the region. The former Member of Parliament had actively exercised her franchise from this very area during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Providing background to her registration, local officials noted that Irani built a permanent residence in Medan Mawai village, which falls under the Gauriganj Assembly constituency, after her victory in the 2019 general elections. Following the completion of her house, she became a registered voter in Amethi, previously having been registered in the Mumbai North West parliamentary constituency. Her name was formally enrolled at the Leela Tikra polling booth of the village, where she cast her vote in 2024.
Addressing the procedural aspects of the omission, District Magistrate Sanjay Chauhan stated that the rules for inclusion in the panchayat voter list are distinct from general elections and require a separate application form. The district administration is currently verifying past records to check whether the necessary application form was submitted within the prescribed timeline. Chauhan assured that if the official paperwork is traced during the probe, her name will be added to the list immediately after proper verification.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has already initiated corrective steps. BJP Amethi District President Sudhanshu Shukla confirmed that a formal application has been submitted to senior administrative officials to resolve the issue. Shukla mentioned that the administration has provided an assurance that her name will be reinstated once the verification process wraps up.
This administrative lapse has drawn significant public attention, coming two years after Irani lost the Amethi parliamentary seat to Congress leader Kishori Lal Sharma in the 2024 general elections. While opposition parties have subtly questioned the local administrative machinery, neutral observers emphasize that such errors often stem from procedural mismatches between different electoral databases. The final report of the inquiry is expected to bring absolute clarity to the matter.