Gill alleges postal vote racket

Sitting Lib Dem MP from Leicester South has accused Asian community of organising a postal vote racket.

Parminder Singh Gill, the sitting Liberal Democrat MP from Leicester South, and now defending his seat, has accused senior members of the Asian community of attempting to organise a postal vote racket. He alleges that constituents are being put under pressure to register for a postal vote, and then being instructed whom to vote.

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His disclosure is the first allegation of voting fraud connected with the General election on May 5. Gill, 38, said that some elders were applying pressure on voters who are asking them for advice on legal immigration or welfare problems in Leicester.

He has warned that such activities are immoral and illegal. A number of people, he says, have told him of what is going on but he has not gone to the police, as there is no evidence so far. Gill is defending a slim majority of 1645 and thus will be worried. Most members of the 20000-strong Asian community tend to rely upon the elders because of the language problem and ask them for advice.

The high number of voters applying for postal votes in his constituency has raised suspicions of malpractice. In the 2001 General election, 3136 had sought to vote from home, this year the figure so far is 12,811.

But Gill's opponent the Labour nominee Sir Peter Soulsy said that if Gill is suspicious he should report to the police. He alleged that Lib Dems was employing underhand tactics despite their holier than thou protest.