Andhra Pradesh: Naidu, YSRCP write to CEC, accuse other of voters’ list irregularities

Naidu said the YSRCP government had set up almost a parallel election machinery in the form of grama or ward sachivalayams subverting the polling staff and bypassing the ECI’s instructions

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Monday complained to chief election commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar alleging that the ruling YSR Congress party (YSRCP) is indulging in large scale irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls in the state, which is a blatant violation of Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines.

TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu pointed out that the door-to-door survey was not complete yet and political parties were not provided with the weekly reports in various constituencies (PTI)

In a 11-page letter submitted to the CEC, Naidu said the YSRCP government had set up almost a parallel election machinery in the form of grama or ward sachivalayams subverting the polling staff and bypassing the ECI’s instructions. “All of them work under the supervision of the nominated leaders by the ruling YSRCP in the name of Gruha Saradhulu and Sachivalaya conveners. These staff members, around 1.45 lakh in number, who are novices to the poll process, have been appointed as booth-level officers in place of employees suggested by ECI,” he said in the letter.

Naidu pointed out that the door-to-door survey was not complete yet and political parties were not provided with the weekly reports in various constituencies. Hundreds of voters were registered with a single common address and with zero house numbers. “There has been large-scale deletion of voters through Form-7 applications without following due process,” he said.

Naidu sought the intervention of the ECI to strengthen the constitutional machinery in the state and ensure their accountability to uphold the democratic values. He requested that the ECI ensure that every eligible voter is included in the electoral rolls.

Meanwhile, YSRCP, too, submitted a separate representation to the CEC, accusing the TDP of manipulating the voters’ list and enrolling bogus voters in large numbers. “We put forth a demand before CEC that the voters’ identification be linked to Aadhar card, so that there would be no bogus voters,” YSRCP general secretary V Vijay Sai Reddy said.

He also suggested that the ECI should incorporate biometric system, so that one citizen would have only one vote. “It is ridiculous that Naidu, who is the master of bogus voting mechanism, chose to lodge a complaint to the ECI against the YSRCP government. It is like a thief shouting from roof tops alerting people about the theft,” he criticised.

Sai Reddy also demanded that the EC order a comprehensive inquiry into the enrolment of voters since 2014, so as to expose who were the real thieves.