Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday targeted the Election Commission over alleged irregularities in the voter list under Special Intensive Revision (SIR). He said that one person having multiple votes and the name of the same voter being registered at four different polling stations is not a small mistake but a serious negligence.
Describing this as the result of vigilance of SP workers and PDA guards, Akhilesh Yadav said that the Commission is now talking about accepting the flaws in the voter list and correcting them. Akhilesh, who came to Gomtinagar Extension to inquire about the well-being of former Minister of State Vidyawati, said that crores of rupees were spent on the SIR process, but despite this, alleged discrepancies are coming to light in the voter list.
He also raised the issue of death of many Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during this process and said that even after such a huge exercise, such mistakes come to the fore, raising serious questions. The SP chief alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party works closely with the Election Commission in case it loses the elections.
He said that when SP questions the Election Commission, BJP leaders come forward to answer. According to him, this raises questions about nexus between the Commission and the BJP.
He also mentioned the developments related to action against officials and protest against the Election Commission in Delhi. Giving the example of alleged irregularities in the voter list, Akhilesh said that SP's PDA sentinel Sachin has informed that a woman named Phoolmati has registered her vote at many places.
He claimed that the booth level officer has been informed in this regard and expressed hope that the extra entries will be removed. Appealing to the Commission to be cautious, he alleged that such irregularities are likely to affect voting rights.
He also raised questions on the role of private company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in preparing the voter list. Akhilesh said that if questions are being raised on the functioning of the company then there should be clarification regarding its credibility also. He expressed apprehension that an attempt to influence the electoral process through a private company could be a matter of serious concern for democracy.
On preparations for the upcoming assembly elections, Akhilesh said that a meeting will be held on November 26 to decide the party's strategy and direction of work in various areas. He said that further action plan will be prepared after discussing it in detail in the meeting.