Lucknow: The first phase of Census 2027 self-enumeration online (SEO) recorded an encouraging response across Uttar Pradesh on the launch day, with over 1.3 lakh applications submitted by 6pm on Thursday.TOI accessed data for up to 5pm that showed a total of 98,832 applications were received, reflecting early public participation in the digital census exercise.Of these, 86,304 applications were successfully completed, accounting for an overall completion rate of 87.32%, while 12,528 applications remained under process.Among all districts, Sonbhadra registered 20,000 applications (by 7pm), the highest in the state on Day 1. The district also led in completed self-enumerations, with 17,213 households finalizing the process, translating into a completion rate of 95.84%.“The performance of Sonbhadra was notable, given its remote and predominantly rural character, indicating strong outreach and growing digital adoption due to effective awareness created by the local district administration,” said a source.Other districts also reported high participation in SEO. Auraiya recorded the second highest 4,495 SEO applicants with 91.68 % completion rate, while Lucknow was third with 3,865 applicants with 85.28 % completion rate. Mainpuri recorded 3,729 applicants with a completion rate of 95.52%, while Chitrakoot followed closely with 2,515 (93.52% completion). Districts such as Kheri (88.86%), Sambhal (88.66%) and Rae Bareli (88.35%) also showed fair participation.Major urban centers like Ghaziabad (2,445), Kanpur Nagar (2,084), Prayagraj (1,732) and Varanasi (1,605) also logged steady participation, though completion rates in some urban districts remained slightly below the state average.At the lower end, districts such as Sant Kabir Nagar 161 (74.53% completion), Mahoba 181 (79.01%) and Kasganj 227 (85.9%) recorded comparatively lower participation in SEO.Officials said the initial data reflects a positive response to the digital self-enumeration model and is expected to improve further as awareness grows and assistance mechanisms are scaled up during the rollout of the census exercise.
