LUCKNOW The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday ordered the removal of two election officials and legal action against them following a preliminary inquiry that confirmed large-scale anomalies in the electoral rolls of the Pilibhit Sadar Assembly constituency.
Taking cognisance of complaints filed by the Opposition, the poll panel relieved the electoral registration officer (ERO) and the voter registration centre (VRC) operator of Pilibhit Sadar from all voter list preparation duties.
UP chief electoral officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa said all district election officers (DEOs) of UP had been directed to take cognizance of the Pilibhit matter and thoroughly examine voter lists of all assembly constituencies in their respective districts and submit a report within two days in the CEO office.
The district election officer had been directed to carry out immediate correction of the electoral roll of Pilibhit Sadar assembly constituency, he added.
The ECI moved into action mode after the Samajwadi Party and Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday alleged that voters’ names were being altered in the state’s electoral rolls to deprive people of their voting rights, citing “irregularities” involving 13,150 entries in the Pilibhit Sadar assembly constituency.
Rinwa said legal action against erring officers will be taken under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. The district election officer had been also directed to submit a report regarding responsibilities of assistant electoral registration officers (AERO) of the constituency, he said.
{{/usCountry}}Rinwa said legal action against erring officers will be taken under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. The district election officer had been also directed to submit a report regarding responsibilities of assistant electoral registration officers (AERO) of the constituency, he said.
{{/usCountry}}The poll panel took cognizance of the complaint submitted by political parties regarding the EPIC number of voters registered in the voter list for the Pilibhit Sadar assembly constituency and directed district election officer to investigate the matter and submit a report immediately, he added.
According to the report submitted by the DEO after an investigation into the voter list of the constituency, it was found that the details of other voters were displayed when the EPIC number of some voters was searched online, he added.
The DEO, Pilibhit, had been directed to thoroughly examine voter lists of all assembly constituencies in Pilibhit district and submit a detailed report within two days, CEO said.