There has been a net increase of 6.9 lakh electors in Delhi from 2015 to 2018, the Delhi government said in reply to a question by Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta in the Assembly on Wednesday.
According to the data of additions and deletions of electors provided by Delhi Elections Minister Imran Hussain in response to Mr. Gupta’s unstarred question, there has been a total increase of 6,90,379 electors from 2015 till 2018. In 2018, a total of 3,77,349 names were deleted and 2,35,593 added to the rolls, the reply said. In 2017, 98,363 names were deleted and 4,60,450 added. In 2016, 2,27,141 names were deleted and 4,15,856 added, while in 2015, a total of 4,51,469 names were deleted, while 7,32,812 were added.
No caste-wise details
In response to a starred question by AAP MLA Anil Kumar Bajpai, who asked for the caste-wise details of voters deleted in his constituency of Gandhi Nagar, Mr. Hussain said the election authorities do not maintain such a record.
Mr. Gupta raised the issue in the Assembly, accusing the AAP government of not tabling a December 14 reply from the Election Commission to the Chief Secretary as it “exposed the lies” of the Aam Aadmi Party.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP had alleged that there had been a mass deletion of voters since the 2015 Delhi Assembly elections. Mr. Kejrwal had said that 24 lakh voters had been struck off the rolls, while others in AAP had claimed the number to be 30 lakh. AAP had also alleged that the BJP and the EC had struck off voters of certain communities, a claim denied by the poll panel.
House resolution
On November 24, the Delhi Assembly passed a resolution on the alleged voter deletion, asking for a report to be tabled in three months. “The ECI gave its report on December 14, but the government refused to table it,” Mr. Gupta said.
Mr. Gupta tabled the response in the Assembly on Wednesday. He said he obtained it through a Right to Information reply and it was allowed by Speaker Ram Niwas Goel.