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BJP prepares for elections with bogus voters
lists
By P.M. Damodaran, Lucknow
 The
compilation of the voters list for the Assembly elections in Uttar
Pradesh, which are scheduled to be held in February-March next year, is
snowballing into a major controversy. The opposition parties, particularly
the Samajwadi Party, have alleged large-scale inclusion of bogus voters in
the voters' list by the officials at the behest of the ruling Bharatiya
Janata Party.
The main allegation is that the officials are indulging in the deletion of
the names of people belonging to the minority community from the voters
list on the premise that they are, at any rate, not going to vote for the
ruling BJP. The Samajwadi Party has charged the government with preparing
voter's list with bogus voters in its efforts to indulge in bogus voting
during the polls.
A couple of months ago, irregularities in the voters list in Thakurdwara
Assembly constituency in Moradabad district was brought to the notice of
the Election Commission. An inquiry conducted by the Secretary to the
Commission, Mr. K.J. Rao, had revealed that the names of 15,800 voters
were deleted from the voter's list by the officials disregarding the
procedures laid down for this purpose. Significantly, Thakurdwara is a
Muslim-dominated constituency in Moradabad district.
This had prompted the Election Commission to direct the state government
to suspend four officials, including the then District Magistrate, Mr. S.K.
Gupta, for the irregularities. The state government had dragged on its
feet for some time by seeking evidence in support of the charges from the
Election Commission before suspending the officials. But when the
Commission took a firm stand, the government had no other way but to
comply with its orders.
Now the Samajwadi Party has brought to the notice of the Election
Commission about an abnormal increase of 84,650 voters in Ayodhya Assembly
constituency. It has been pointed out that while the increase in voters in
Ayodhya is 84,650 during the past eight years, the rise in voters in the
three neighbouring Assembly constituencies in Faizabad district ranged
only from 23,000 to 33,000 during the same period. Several houses in
Ayodhya have 1314, 1778, 2679 and 2711 voters! The photocopies of the
voters' list of houses have been sent to the Election Commission for its
persual and taking action. Moreover, the party has pointed out that though
Faizabad city Assembly constituency has sizeable Muslim voters, their
increase was only 690.
The Samajwadi Party has also complained that there was rigging of the
voter's list in Sadar in Sultanpur district and Lucknow West Assembly
constituencies. Lucknow West is at present represented by the state Urban
Development Minister, Mr. Lalji Tandon. This Assembly segment incidentally
forms a part of the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat represented by Prime Minister,
Mr. A.B. Vajpayee. There was an abnormal increase of nearly 30,000 voters
in the constituency though it was earlier informed by the district
election officers to the U.P. Election Directorate that the rise was only
less than 6,000 voters. In fact the main opposition party in U.P., the
Samajwadi Party, has demanded a summary revision of the voters list in all
the 403 Assembly constituencies in the state and an inquiry into the
inclusion of the bogus voters in the voters list.
Meanwhile tardy progress has been reported in the distribution of the
photo identity cards. According to reports, though the state had launched
a photo I-card drive in August this year in view of the coming elections,
the response from the voters had been far from satisfactory and the target
of completing the work by November 30 is unlikely to be achieved. Out of
the total of 9.98 crore voters, nearly three crore are yet to receive the
I-cards which has put a question mark on the sensibility of the Election
Commission’s decision to make the cards mandatory to exercise the
franchise by the voters during the coming elections. The progress has been
tardy in the five ‘KAVAL’ towns of Kanpur, Agra, Varanasi, Allahabad
and Lucknow and Gorakhpur. In the first move in1995, photo identity cards
were issued to nearly 5.25 crore out of 9.98 crore voters. In the second
phase, the distribution of identity card was initiated only August this
year.
The Election Commission has already expressed its grave concern at the
slow progress in the distribution of identity cards and had even warned
the officials of stern action if they failed to meet the target. If the
Commission sticks to its firm stand, many a heads may roll as witnessed in
Moradabad district. The Election Commission had made the identity card
mandatory on the ground that it, along with the electronic voting
machines, would virtually eliminate the bogus voting and the rigging of
the polls. The tardy progress in the distribution of identity cards and
the allegation of large-scale inclusion of bogus voters in the voter's
list has now put a question mark on holding free and fair elections in U.P.
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