UP Voter List Translation Error Sparks Row After Ramhit Yadav’s Name Is Mistranslated

A software translation error in Uttar Pradesh’s voter list has drawn criticism ahead of the state’s upcoming Assembly elections. The controversy arose after the name of a voter, Ramhit Yadav, was reportedly displayed as “Ram Hit Yadav” in English and “Ramne Yadav Ko Mara” in Hindi, a phrase that translates to “Ram beat Yadav.” The unusual translation left the voter shocked and raised questions about the accuracy of the Election Commission’s voter-list software.

Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh shared a video of the incident on X and sarcastically questioned Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar about the error. He asked why the software appeared to associate the phrase with Yadav rather than surnames such as Singh, Pathak, Asthana, Sharma, Rai or Bisht, and questioned whether the system reflected caste bias or a political agenda. Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa responded on Monday, acknowledging that the software was designed to translate names from English into Hindi and that errors had occurred in some cases. He said the mistakes were being corrected and that steps would be taken to prevent similar errors from recurring.