Mumbai: BJP files FIR over missing, deleted names from voters' list

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) filed a complaint with the Mumbai police seeking action against election officials in Maharashtra after various complaints of missing or deleted names from the voters’ list came to light during polling.

Dr Kirit Somaiya, BJP leader and Lok Sabha candidate from Mumbai North Earth constituency, lodged a complaint with the Mulund police station alleging ‘criminal negligence and conspiracy by the officials for deleteting lakhs of genuine voters names’ from the voters’ list. He has demanded action under sections 120/B (criminal conspiracy) and 405 (breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and under the Representation of Peoples Act.

“We have been raising this issue with the election officials since last year. They had assured us of corrective measures but they have done nothing. Hence, it is criminal conspiracy of the Maharashtra government in connivance with the Election Department in the state,” alleged Somaiya while addressing the media. Apart from Somaiya, AAP candidate Medha Patkar, NCP candidate Sanjay Patil are in fray in the Mumbai North East Lok Sabha constituency.

Even as the six Lok Sabha constituencies in Mumbai along with 13 other Lok Sabha constituencies from North Maharashtra and Marathwada voted yesterday in the third and last phase of polling in the state, the complaints of names missing or deleted from the voters list were reported in many areas of Mumbai. Earlier in this month, similar complaints were also reported in Pune and Nagpur.

He further alleged that the election officials have included names in the voters list without having any documents or proofs. “In Shivaji Nagar, Mankhurd area, which falls in the North East Lok Sabha constituency, around 50,000 new names have been included by the election officials in the voters list. Out of these, almost 47,000 people have no proof, documents or photos,” he claimed, adding that a delegation of Shiv Sena-BJP leaders will meet election officials in Delhi next week.

“We will wait for seven days to see whether the police registers an FIR regarding the matter. If not, we will move the metropolitan court and Bombay High Court,” Somaiya added.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan also said that the issue of missing or deleted names from the voters list will be taken up with the election officials in Delhi.