India, Dec. 31 -- The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday extended the date of publication of the draft electoral roll in Uttar Pradesh, the third such relaxation in India's most-populous state where nearly a fifth of the electorate is likely to face deletion under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Uttar Pradesh CEO Navdeep Rinwa told reporters that the draft electoral roll, which will now be published on January 6, is likely to drop 28.9 million names, which will represent 18.7% of the electorate for reasons such as death, change of residence or duplication due to enrolment elsewhere.

Uttar Pradesh is set to go to the polls in the spring of 2027.

"As per the revised dates, the draft publication of the electoral roll will...