Senior Congress leaders protested outside the ECI, alleging mass irregularities in Uttarakhand’s electoral rolls. Pawan Khera slammed the poll body, stating it has “shut its gates” to the opposition after denying them an appointment to submit a memorandum.
Senior Congress leaders, including Pawan Khera, Kumari Selja, and the leadership of the Uttarakhand Congress, staged a protest outside the Election Commission of India (ECI) office on Thursday, alleging mass irregularities in the electoral rolls of Uttarakhand and claiming the poll body has “shut its gates” to the opposition.
Congress Slams ‘Padlocked’ Commission
Speaking to reporters outside the ECI headquarters, Congress leader Pawan Khera launched a scathing attack on the Commission, suggesting it should reconsider its official identity. “The Election Commission should change its symbol to a chain and a padlock. Have you ever seen chains attached? The Election Commission of a democracy has shut its gates to the people of this country and their representatives. A heavy padlock has been placed on them. This is the current story of this country’s democracy,” Khera said. Expressing frustration over the lack of communication, he added, “We had been asking for an appointment for eight days but couldn’t get one, which is why we were compelled to come here today.”
Irregularities in Voter Deletion
The delegation, which included Congress MP Kumari Selja, reached the office to submit a memorandum regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand Congress President Ganesh Godiyal detailed the specific grievances regarding the deletion of voters in the hill state. “For some time now, we have been seeking an appointment with the EC to bring to the EC’s notice the irregularities occurring in the state regarding the deletion of names from the electoral rolls. However, we were denied an appointment previously, and despite requesting one since this morning, we have still not been granted a meeting. Consequently, under our in-charge’s leadership, we decided to go there and submit our representations directly,” Godiyal stated.
‘Web of Lies’ to Disenfranchise Voters
Godiyal further alleged a “web of lies” involving fraudulent complaints used to disenfranchise voters. “In Uttarakhand, a proposal to delete the name of a sitting MLA from the electoral roll is being submitted by an unknown individual, and the EC is entertaining it. When our team actually reached out to this alleged complainant, he stated that he had never filed any such complaint. To absolve himself of this false allegation, he even executed an affidavit declaring that he had made no complaint and that these were fabricated claims. Countless such affidavits have been filed by individuals whose names were cited as complainants,” he alleged.
He warned that if the Commission remains a “mute spectator,” it would undermine Indian democracy. “This is entirely a web of lies, a ploy designed to disenfranchise voters and undermine the Congress party. If the EC continues to remain a mute spectator to these events, the people of India and Indian democracy will not accept it.”
Systematic ‘Voter Theft’ Alleged
Uttarakhand Leader of Opposition Yashpal Arya also compared the situation to recent elections in other states, alleging a systematic pattern of “voter theft.” “Just as votes were stolen and voters’ names were removed from electoral rolls in Maharashtra and Bihar, a similar situation is unfolding in Uttarakhand as the elections approach. At the behest of the BJP, acting on the instructions of both the central and state governments, the names of eligible voters are being deleted from the electoral rolls,” Arya claimed.
Arya stated that despite approaching lower-level officials, no action was taken. “We appealed to the Returning Officer, but our concerns went unheard… This is why we approached the EC today, though we were not given a hearing. It is evident that the names of voters aligned with Congress’s ideology are being removed from the lists; we vehemently oppose this and are prepared to fight this battle unitedly,” he added.
A draft voter list amid the SIR exercise in Uttarakhand was released on July 14, which included 71,33,785 voters. 8,19,200 voters were found to be absent/shifted, enrolled in multiple places or deceased. The final list will be published on September 15.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)