New Delhi, Sep 26: The CPI(ML) Liberation on Saturday claimed that a survey conducted by it in two Bihar assembly constituencies found a substantial number of voters whose names were wrongfully deleted from the electoral rolls.
Addressing a press conference here, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya Bhattacharya also alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has made the electoral roll “way more inaccurate” and “compromised” and demanded restoration of voting rights of all voters wrongfully excluded.
He said the party’s survey in Aigaon and Ziradei constituencies indicated many of the deletions could be wrongful.
He said the findings were particularly significant in Aigaon, where the party lost the election by just 95 votes, and Ziradei, where it lost by 2,626 votes.
In Aigaon, the CPI(ML) surveyed 204 voters whose names had been deleted before SIR in three booths and found 46 of them, or 22.5 per cent, still residing in their villages, Bhattacharya said.
In four booths, it also checked 665 voters deleted during SIR and found 77, or around 11 per cent, living in the village, he said.
Based on the survey, the party estimated that more than 2,000 voters could have been wrongfully excluded across Aigaon, he said.
In Ziradei, the party surveyed nine booths and found 122 of 665 voters whose names were deleted during SIR still residing in the village, while 15 of 189 voters deleted before SIR were also found there, Bhattacharya said.
He estimated that the number of wrongful deletions in the constituency could be around 3,500.
Bhattacharya said the booths were selected through what he described as “stratified sampling”, focusing on areas that showed high levels of additions and deletions in the electoral rolls.
Party workers then conducted house-to-house verification of the voters concerned, he said.
The CPI(ML) leader also alleged that some additions to the rolls made before SIR were suspect, but said the party’s estimates of wrongful deletion did not factor in the issue of inclusion.
The claims come amid a widening political controversy over the functioning of the Election Commission and the SIR exercise.
A recent report by The Indian Express said Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections at least 14 times over 10 months to decisions of the poll panel, including on electoral-roll revision, voter additions and deletions.
The newspaper report has since become a key point of reference for opposition parties seeking action against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The Opposition is preparing a fresh motion seeking his removal in Parliament, with the proposed motion being drafted with legal experts.
Bhattacharya said the SIR exercise had made the electoral roll “way more inaccurate” and “compromised” and demanded that all voters who had been wrongfully excluded have their voting rights restored.
He also said the CPI(ML) would launch a national movement on the issue after completing its survey in Bihar, and appealed for participation by opposition parties, civil society groups and other organisations working on electoral rights.
AISA president Neha, who was also present at the press conference, alleged excessive use of force by police during Friday’s protest against the CEC, and said some police personnel were not wearing name tags.
On demands for action against CEC Kumar, she said the organisation was seeking not only his removal but also criminal action, alleging that the SIR process had undermined the universal right to vote.
Asked about the September 30 meeting of INDIA bloc parties regarding the issue, Bhattacharya said the issue should also be taken up beyond the INDIA bloc, with the participation of all opposition parties and civil society groups concerned about democracy and universal franchise.
“On June 8, there was a meeting of INDIA bloc. It was decided that we will meet again in two months. Actually, the meeting was supposed to be in August. But it was not possible,” he said.
“Now, the biggest issue is SIR and along with SIR, Gyanesh Kumar, this Election Commission is a major crisis for Indian democracy,” he said, adding that the issue should be the “top priority” for the INDIA bloc.
The CPI(ML) demanded an immediate halt to SIR and restoration of voting rights to voters it claims have been wrongfully excluded.(PTI)
