UP Poll Body Apologises For 'Thank God Ram Did Not Kill Any Minority' Post Over Voter Name Error

News india UP Poll Body Apologises For 'Thank God Ram Did Not Kill Any Minority' Post Over Voter Name Error

Last Updated:October 27, 2026, 12:47 IST

The UP election body apologised for an inappropriate caste-related remark made by its official handle following an erroneous voter slip entry.

The Uttar Pradesh election body on Tuesday apologised for the alleged casteist remark made by the state’s chief election officer over an erroneous voter slip entry. The poll body said that the tone and language of the comment was not in line with the nature of their expected communication.

The controversy erupted after AAP MP Sanjay Singh targeted Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over the erroneous entry in the voter slip where “Ramhit Yadav" became “Ram ne Yadav ko Maara".

The name had appeared in the voter list of the ongoing Uttar Pradesh legislative council elections.

How Did The Controversy Erupt?

Underlining the mistake, Singh questioned if the CEC was running the agenda of a particular political party.

In a post on X in Hindi, Singh asked, “Gyanesh Kumar, why did Ram hit only a Yadav? Why did Ram not hit any Singh, Pathak, Asthana, Sharma, Rai or Bisht? Is your computer casteist? Are you running the agenda of any political party?"

Reacting to the AAP leader, the official handle of UP’s Chief Electoral Officer said, “In the voter list for the recent Legislative Council elections, there is also a bizarre name: “Ram ne Sharma ko mara." Computers/software are not casteist. It is acceptable that we made a mistake, but fortunately, even during the mistake, there was no discrimination based on caste. We must also thank God that Ram did not kill any minority. Otherwise, in addition to being casteist, there would also be an accusation of being communal."

UP Poll Body Issues Apology

Amid a raging controversy, the UP poll body apologised for the “tone" and “language" of the comment.

“The tone and tenor and the acerbic nature of the comments in the quoted post of this handle is not in line with the nature of communication expected from this official handle. The genuine outrage generated by the comments in the post has been well noted. We offer our sincere apologies to the persons shocked and offended by it. Our communication henceforth will be decorous and formal," the UP CEC’s official handle wrote on X.

“The language level, tone, and sharp nature of the comments in the quoted post of this handle are not in line with the nature of communication expected from this official handle. The genuine outrage generated by the comments in the post has been duly noted. We sincerely apologise to those who are surprised and upset by this. From now on, our communication will be polite and formal," it said in another post.

The controversy erupted amid the Opposition’s massive protests against CEC Gyanesh Kumar over the SIR row and “vote-chori’ allegations.

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Prisha Vibhavari

Prisha is the Chief Sub-Editor at News18.com, with more than 10 years of experience in national and international news. She specialises in editorial leadership, sharp news judgment, and high-impact st...Read More

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