Congress national general secretary Randeep Surjewala (Image credits: PTI)
NEW DELHI: The INDIA bloc on Tuesday accused the Election Commission of adding “more than 5,000” voters from Uttar Pradesh to electoral rolls in an adjoining Bihar district to give an advantage to the ruling NDA in the upcoming assembly polls.At a press conference in Phulparas, Madhubani district, Congress national general secretary Randeep Surjewala and RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha alleged that the “doubtful” voters were mostly registered in the Valmiki Nagar assembly segment of West Champaran district, reported PTI.They cited the case of a 45-year-old man who appeared in Bihar’s rolls despite being an elector of the Khadda constituency in Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh.The Election Commission rejected the charge, describing the figure as “imaginary” and without evidence.In a statement issued by the West Champaran district administration and shared by the office of the chief electoral officer, officials clarified that “it is a draft electoral roll that has been published by the EC on August 1 and not the final voters’ list. The very purpose of draft rolls is to invite claims and objections with regard to duplications or any other discrepancies.” The administration further said, “Moreover, in the press conference, the figure of more than 5,000 doubtful voters has been bandied about without any further details or evidence. It seems to be an imaginary figure which does not lend itself to verification.”It explained that in Valmiki Nagar, changes in the course of rivers often force residents to shift their addresses, which sometimes leads to multiple registrations. “The special intensive revision is aimed at removing such discrepancies,” the statement noted.On the case of Chhedi Ram, the Khadda voter named by Surjewala and Jha, the administration clarified that his name was included in the draft rolls but “he has already moved an application for deletion of his name” from the UP constituency.
