Deletion of 1.9 lakh voters from rolls sparks AAP-BJP row
AlokKNMishra | TNN | Updated: Jan 20, 2019, 16:10 IST
Raghav Chadha (L), Manoj Tiwari (R)NEW DELHI: A political slugfest broke out on Saturday between the Aam Aadmi Party and Bharatiya Janata Party over the deletion of 1.9 lakh voters from the electoral list published by Delhi’s chief electoral officer.
AAP seemed to take this as validation of its allegation that names of 30 lakh voters, predominantly of the Muslim, Poorvanchali and Baniya communities, had been deleted as part of a “conspiracy”.
As AAP spokesperson and Lok Sabha candidate from south Delhi, Raghav Chadha, said: “For the first time ever, there has been a decline in the number of voters in Delhi. This clearly vindicates our claim that BJP has engineered the biggest ever voter deletion fraud against Delhiites. BJP is rattled as it has understood that it is going to face a humiliating defeat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party specifically targeted communities like the Muslims, Poorvanchalis, and Baniyas because its policies have greatly hurt the communities — economically and otherwise.”
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari countered that the publication of electoral rolls had exposed chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP. “According to the electoral rolls, names of only 1.9 lakh voters, who are either dead or have permanently shifted from their addresses, have been deleted. It is a slap on the face of AAP that has been claiming that names of 30 lakh voters have been deleted. Kejriwal should stop the politics of lies,” Tiwari declared.
Tiwari, MP from northeast Delhi, pointed out that 9.8 lakh new voters have been added to the electoral roll since 2014. According to the electoral list, despite the decrease in the number of voters in the last one year, the total number of electors had increased by 9.9 lakh since 2014 and this year a total of 1.4 crore electors from Delhi would be deciding the fate of the seven Lok Sabha seats from the capital.
Chadha argued that Delhi had always witnessed a net increase in the voter list during roll revisions. “It is shocking that despite an increasing population, the electoral rolls are reflecting a decrease in the number of eligible voters,” he said.
AAP plans to pursue this matter seriously. “We will ensure BJP is not allowed to snatch any citizen’s constitutional right to vote,” asserted Chadha, calling on the election commission to publicly reveal how there had been a net decrease in the electoral rolls despite an increase in the voting population.
AAP seemed to take this as validation of its allegation that names of 30 lakh voters, predominantly of the Muslim, Poorvanchali and Baniya communities, had been deleted as part of a “conspiracy”.
As AAP spokesperson and Lok Sabha candidate from south Delhi, Raghav Chadha, said: “For the first time ever, there has been a decline in the number of voters in Delhi. This clearly vindicates our claim that BJP has engineered the biggest ever voter deletion fraud against Delhiites. BJP is rattled as it has understood that it is going to face a humiliating defeat in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. The party specifically targeted communities like the Muslims, Poorvanchalis, and Baniyas because its policies have greatly hurt the communities — economically and otherwise.”
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari countered that the publication of electoral rolls had exposed chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP. “According to the electoral rolls, names of only 1.9 lakh voters, who are either dead or have permanently shifted from their addresses, have been deleted. It is a slap on the face of AAP that has been claiming that names of 30 lakh voters have been deleted. Kejriwal should stop the politics of lies,” Tiwari declared.
Tiwari, MP from northeast Delhi, pointed out that 9.8 lakh new voters have been added to the electoral roll since 2014. According to the electoral list, despite the decrease in the number of voters in the last one year, the total number of electors had increased by 9.9 lakh since 2014 and this year a total of 1.4 crore electors from Delhi would be deciding the fate of the seven Lok Sabha seats from the capital.
Chadha argued that Delhi had always witnessed a net increase in the voter list during roll revisions. “It is shocking that despite an increasing population, the electoral rolls are reflecting a decrease in the number of eligible voters,” he said.
AAP plans to pursue this matter seriously. “We will ensure BJP is not allowed to snatch any citizen’s constitutional right to vote,” asserted Chadha, calling on the election commission to publicly reveal how there had been a net decrease in the electoral rolls despite an increase in the voting population.
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