E-Paper
‘BJP filed applications with EC to get voters names deleted in Delhi’, alleges Arvind Kejriwal
AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal urged the ECI to upload all applications on its website by the evening “for the sake of transparency”.
Former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday alleged that the names of a large number of voters had been deleted from electoral roll ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the capital.
“The BJP has filed an application to delete the names of 11,018 voters in the Shahdara area, but when we cross-checked that application on 500 names, 75 per cent of people were still living there, but their names can be deleted from the electoral roll,” PTI quoted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor as saying at a press conference.
Kejriwal claimed that AAP won the Shahdara assembly seat in the 2020 elections by around 5,000 votes.
“Names of around 11,000 voters are being deleted in that constituency and most of these voters are AAP supporters,” he said.
AAP's Ram Niwas Goel had won the Shahdara seat by defeating BJP's Sanjay Goyal.
"75 percent of their list is troublesome. When we inquired, maximum of these voters turned out to be AAP voters. If you get 6% of votes cut from one assembly constituency then what is the point of holding elections?" he added.
Calling it a “threat to democracy”, Kejriwal said,"This is a threat to democracy, people's votes are being cut. It is the fundamental right of the people to cast their vote and choose their government but BJP and Election Commission are snatching this right of the people."
Shahdara DM responds
Responding to Kejriwal's allegations, the Shahdara district magistrate posted on X,"Only 494 form 7 is received in Shahdara Assembly constituency since 29 October, 2024. Hence, the claim that 11018 form 7 were filed by BJP in the last one month is factually incorrect."
The Assembly polls in Delhi are expected to be held in early 2025. AAP won 62 out of the 70 seats in the 2020 assembly elections and BJP secured eighth seats.
(With PTI inputs)
