Akhilesh Yadav sends voters’ deletion ‘evidence’ to Election Commission

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav had first made the allegations of removal of voters from the Yadav and Muslim communities – its voter base – from the electoral rolls during a party meeting in September

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday submitted “evidence”, as asked by the Election Commission, to substantiate his allegation that names of party supporters were removed from the voters’ list during the assembly elections earlier this year.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav submitted “evidence”, as asked by the Election Commission, to substantiate his allegation that names of party supporters were removed from the voters’ list during the assembly elections earlier this year. (PTI)

In a statement, the party said the former chief minister sent the evidence to the poll body through email, along with names of party supporters who were allegedly removed from the voters’ list.

Yadav also sent photocopies of complaints made to the chief electoral officer, Lucknow and the chief election commissioner, New Delhi, in this regard, the statement said. He also shared a compilation of media reports.

Yadav had first made the allegations of removal of voters from the Yadav and Muslim communities – its voter base – from the electoral rolls during a party meeting in September. On October 27, the poll body asked him to substantiate the allegation with evidence by November 10.

“We have sent the letter and evidence through email and registered post today,” party secretary and state spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.

In his six-page letter, a copy of which HT has seen, Yadav wrote: “Evidence and documents that could be gathered in a week – about the wrongfully deducted names from the voters’ lists – have been sent (to you). The remaining ones about bypolls 2022 will be sent.”

Yadav said a demand was made to probe allegations of activists, supporters, citizens and media reports about voters being deprived of their right to cast their ballots but no investigation was carried out.

Chaudhary said Yadav demanded the inclusion of a party representative during investigation into the points raised by the latter in the reply.

Following the EC’s letter on October 27, the party on October 31 asked all its candidates who were in the fray for the assembly elections and district office bearers to gather evidence of “wrongfully struck off names from voters’ lists” and also photocopies of complaints sent to returning officers.

In the elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) defeated the SP, in a bipolar contest, and retained power in the state.