A Newslaundry report found that the names of some voters were deleted after claiming that they were dead while they were very much alive
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – Opposition leaders on Sunday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after reports emerged of the deletion of the names of voters belonging to communities less likely to vote for the saffron party in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad.
Reacting sharply to an investigative Newslaundry report on the deletion of the Muslim and Yadav names from the voters’ list, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav demanded a re-election in the constituency.
According to the Newslaundry report, over 32,000 voters were removed from the elector roll in Farrukhabad where the BJP candidate won the Lok Sabha election with a thin margin of around 27,00 voters.
Newslaundry is a media watchdog founded in 2012. It provides media critique, reportage and satirical commentary.
According to its report released on Saturday, the largest rate of deletions was in Aliganj, an assembly constituency with the highest share of Yadav and Muslim voters who form 30 percent of its electorate. Within Aliganj’s 395 booths, 53 had an unusually high rate of deletion, including 37 that were populated by Muslim, Yadav, Shakya and Jatav voters.
“Our ground visits, conversations with field staff and senior officials, and a review of voter lists further reveal how a BJP MLA’s letter seemed to have influenced deletions,” revealed the report by Sumedha Mittal.
The report found that the names of some voters were deleted after claiming that they were dead while they were very much alive.
At her home in Ram Prasad village, Noorjahan, 69, was shocked to learn that she had been declared dead. “This election, I was wondering why I had not received my voter information slip.”
Similarly, 61-year-old Radheshree was declared dead on the voter list. When the reporter cross-checked with villagers, they chuckled. She was found at her home.
The deletions were carried out after local BJP MLA Rathore sent letters to the Election Commission officials demanding the deletion of their names.
The report has drawn strong reactions from former chief minister Yadav and former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Demanding re-election in the constituency and the suspension of the erring officials, Yadav asserted that such deletions are being carried out in other parts of the state and country as well.
“We have been saying this earlier too. The BJP MP from Farrukhabad won with the certificate of administration, not with votes. Now even the poll officer has admitted to the scam and exposed the whole truth,” said Yadav.
He stated the dirty game of cutting the votes of the opposition supporters is being played not just in one constituency but everywhere. This is both a conspiracy and a crime by the BJP to deprive people of their constitutional right to vote in a democracy. “Is there anyone to take cognisance of this crime committed by BJP,” he asked.
“We demand that those responsible for this unconstitutional misdeed be immediately suspended and re-polls be conducted in Farrukhabad by adding back the names of people whose names were deleted from the voter list. Today’s voters say, we don’t want BJP,” said the former chief minister.
Calling it a murder of democracy, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Kejriwal also asserted that such deletions are being carried out across the country.
“BJP has made a mockery of democracy. Across the country, a game of cutting votes of voters of other parties is going on. Democracy is being murdered openly. These people were doing the same thing in Delhi too but we caught them. Here we will not let this dirty conspiracy of BJP succeed,” said Kejriwal.