Andhra: Chief Electoral Officer issues strict directives after YSRCP complaints on duplicate votes
Dec 08, 2023
Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], December 9 : Acting promptly on complaints raised by the ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) regarding the presence of electors with duplicate votes, Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Kumar Meena has issued a stern directive to District Election Officers (DEOs) to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
The YSRCP had previously submitted a complaint to the Chief Electoral Officer, alleging the existence of electors with duplicate votes in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states.
Expressing concerns about potential fresh enrollments post-elections in other states, the party urged action against such instances.
In response, CEO Mukesh Kumar Meena has written to all district election officers, instructing them to be vigilant. In cases of objections on existing electors suspected to be duplicates, dead, or shifted, he emphasised the necessity to file Form-7 through the objector or the concerned Booth Level Agent (BLA) in online mode or submit it to the Booth Level Officer (BLO)/ERO/AERO with proper supporting documents.
Quoting Sections 17 and 18 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the CEO reiterated that a person cannot be enrolled as a voter in more than one place.
He warned against penal actions under Section 31 of the Act for those applying for enrollment while hiding previous enrollments with false declarations.
The CEO further advised BLOs and AEROs to scrutinise Form 8 applications for shifting from other states, searching for duplications using EPIC numbers on the ECI portal.
Personal hearings are to be conducted for objections, and final decisions by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) should consider all aspects.
To maintain transparency, the list of claims and objections will be made available to political parties weekly and published on the CEO's website daily. Additionally, the list of additions and deletions will be posted on the website weekly.
The Chief Electoral Officer stressed that any false declarations would be dealt with seriously, and cases would be filed under relevant Acts.
