Andhra: Chandrababu complains to poll panel alleging deceased voters' names in draft electoral rolls

Amaravati ( Andhra Pradesh) [India], December 8 : The former Andhra Pradesh chief minister and TDP national president Nara Chandrababu Naidu, on Friday complained to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) alleging irregularities in the voters lists including deceased voters' names in the draft electoral rolls.
In a letter addressed to the CEO which is released to the media here, Chandrababu Naidu alleged that the ruling party is resorting to various kinds of irregularities and the prescribed procedure for enrolment of voters is not followed.
The necessary changes in the electoral rolls are not being made as per the Electoral Manual-2023, he alleged in the letter.
Though the Manual specifies the procedure for deletion of multiple entries, the procedure is not complied with as still there are double or multiple entries of voters in several constituencies, Chandrababu said.
Another important issue is that deceased voters' names are still found in the draft electoral rolls and the prescribed action is not followed by the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), he said.
Pointing out that Rule 6 of the Registration of Electors Rule-1960 specifies that the rolls shall be arranged according to house numbers, Chandrababu said that it is observed that the rule is being breached.
This apart, ineligible persons are being enrolled through online registration with Form-6, the former chief minister stated and alleged that the names of the voters of the Opposition parties are being deleted under the directions from the ruling dispensation.
Expressing concern that till now there is no focus on such complaints made by the TDP leaders, he said that the Bulk Form-7 applications are not being accepted either online or directly.
Chandrababu demanded that those who are raising objections and who want certain names to be deleted from the voter's list produce the necessary evidence.
It is pathetic that in certain constituencies if the names are simply written on a white paper they are being deleted from the rolls without any inquiry, he added.
Till today, the EROs are issuing notices to the voters causing inconvenience to them, the TDP supremo said and pointed out the clear guidelines issued by the Central Election Commission (CEC) about either enrollment or deletion of voters.
Though it is almost a month since the draft electoral rolls have been published, no decision has been taken yet on the objections raised by the TDP leaders, Chandrababu said.
Making an appeal to the CEO to initiate steps to ensure that there is no scope for the recurrence of such irregularities in the final list, Nara Chandrababu Naidu wanted the poll panel to issue orders to the EROs and the DEOs to take necessary action within the stipulated time complying with the statutory rules.