Election Commission Dismisses Officials Over Voter List Issues in Pilibhit
The Election Commission has taken decisive action against officials in Pilibhit following allegations of voter list irregularities.
Two officials, including an Election Registration Officer, were removed due to irregularities in the voter list.
An FIR has been filed against a computer operator involved in the discrepancies.
Over 13,000 voter names were allegedly replaced, raising concerns about electoral integrity.
In a significant move, the Election Commission of India has dismissed two officials in Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, due to serious allegations of irregularities in the voter list for the Sadar assembly constituency. This decision was made on Thursday following a preliminary investigation into complaints from local Congress leaders regarding the integrity of the voter registration process.
The officials removed include Mayank Goswami, the Election Registration Officer (ERO), and Hemant Chaudhary, the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Amaria. Additionally, a computer operator named Anil Kumar has been dismissed from service, and an FIR has been lodged against him and others involved in the alleged misconduct. The Election Commission has ordered a thorough investigation into these matters to ensure accountability.
The irregularities came to light when Congress leaders reported that over 13,000 names had been altered in the final draft of the voter list released in April. A preliminary probe indicated that while the EPIC numbers and serial numbers remained unchanged, the names associated with these numbers were different. Many affected voters were reportedly unaware of these discrepancies, raising alarms about the electoral process's transparency.
Further complicating the situation, it was claimed that 884 voters had their names removed from the list despite being eligible, while 2,600 new names were added, including individuals who did not reside in the area. The Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh, Navdeep Rinwa, has requested a detailed report from the district electoral officer and district magistrate, Alok Kumar, to address these issues.
The implications of these irregularities extend beyond the local constituency, as similar issues have been reported in the voter list for the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council polls. Notably, bizarre entries were found in the voter list, including a name recorded as 'Ram ne Yadav ko Mara' (Ram hit Yadav) and a father's name listed as 'Murkh Chandra Yadav'. These findings highlight the urgent need for reforms in the electoral registration process to maintain public trust in the democratic system.
