UP CEO tells SP to furnish original copies of 18,000 voter affidavits

The original copies can be submitted to the office of the CEO, Uttar Pradesh, or to the office of the district election officer of the concerned district, or to the electoral registration officer of the concerned assembly constituency so that the investigation process over the complaint can be expedited, he said

LUCKNOW Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa on Monday told the Samajwadi Party to provide the original copies of all 18,000 voter affidavits, regarding which the party had lodged a complaint with the Election Commission of India via email.

“It is also requested that you obtain a receipt as proof of submission from the office concerned for the list of affidavits provided by you, so that it can be clearly established how many affidavits were received by the office and on which date,” the CEO said (Pic for representation)

The original copies can be submitted to the office of the CEO, Uttar Pradesh, or to the office of the district election officer of the concerned district, or to the electoral registration officer of the concerned assembly constituency so that the investigation process over the complaint can be expedited, he said.

“It is also requested that you obtain a receipt as proof of submission from the concerned office for the list of affidavits provided by you, so that it can be clearly established how many affidavits were received by the concerned office and on which date. Necessary instructions in this regard have already been issued to all district election officers (DEOs) and all electoral registration officers (EROs),” the CEO said.

In a post on X on Monday, SP said, “The entire 2022 assembly elections, all by-elections were looted under the collusion and signals of the BJP in power. Like ‘Dhritarashtra’ (the blind king in the epic Mahabharata), the EC remained complicit in dishonest acts by silently supporting the BJP’s dishonesty.”

“What action was taken on those more than 18,000 affidavits and the complaints voiced by the public? Instead, there were even reports of threats to the complainants, which are extremely shameful,” the SP said.

EC takes note of minister’s plaint about Kannauj LS voter list

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken cognizance of the complaint of Asim Arun, minister of state (independent charge) for social welfare, scheduled caste and tribal welfare, regarding anomalies in the voter list of the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency prepared for the 2024 general election.

In a video post on X on Monday, Asim Arun said he had detected fraud in Kannauj voter list, adding that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav should take a look at the facts and give an answer.

Yadav won the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat in 2024, defeating the BJP candidate Subrat Pathak by 1.70 lakh votes.

Arun said the names of Nawab Singh, who was once known as mini CM of Kannauj due to his association with SP, as well as his brothers Veerpal Yadav and Kalyan Singh, are mentioned in the votes list of two booths in Adangapur and Gawal Maidan of Kannauj.

Nawab Singh, an accused in a rape case is lodged in jail, Arun said and added the DEO should probe the matter and take appropriate legal action against those who indulged in illegal acts.

“The ECI should conduct a proper probe for the purification of the voters list. He will give additional proof regarding the irregularities,” the minister said.

“The Samajwadi Party should apologise for indulging in fraud in the voter list of the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency,” he said.

Replying to Asim Arun, the CEO in a post on X said the matter has been taken cognizance of and the Kannauj DEO has been directed to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation.

Reacting to Arun’s complaint, the SP said, “So what’s the problem? Get the SDM suspended, the government is yours, you are the minister. @ECISVEEP take a look at Asim Arun complaint.”

The SP also hit out at the CEO: “When the Opposition says something, you people don’t even take cognizance. And now, when ruling party MLAs and ministers are raising questions on the Election Commission, the Commission is talking about taking cognizance and action.”

Replying to SP, the UP CEO said, “This is excessive on your part. Just a short while ago today, you yourself tweeted as follows: “So what’s the problem? Get the SDM suspended, the government is yours, you are the minister @ECISVEEP, please take note.”

“It is only after your tweet that this matter came to our notice, and in accordance with your expectation, the district election officer has been instructed to look into the matter without any delay,” the CEO said.