Opposition Raises Voter Roll Concerns Ahead of November 1 Protest
Chhatarpur (Madhya Pradesh), October 25: Concerns over the deletion of names from voter lists have intensified after Congress leader Ranvijay Singh Lochav questioned the Election Commission's handling of the issue. Lochav, who is AICC Secretary and Madhya Pradesh Co-In-Charge, demanded clear answers and greater openness from the poll body.
Describing the party's nationwide 'Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao' initiative, Lochav said Congress is seeking transparency about large-scale removals of voter names under the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. He said the matter concerns every voter and cannot be ignored.
Lochav claimed that crores of names have been removed from the voter lists during the SIR process. He said such a massive exercise naturally raises serious questions about the commission's working. Stressing the commission's independent status, he said it should explain its actions to the public without delay.
He repeated the opposition's demand that voter lists be made available in machine-readable format. Lochav said the commission has not clearly responded to this demand, which, in his view, has created a gap in transparency on voter list matters.
The Congress leader also alleged that differences of opinion have appeared within the Election Commission on various issues. He said opposition questions are not being answered in a satisfactory manner, leading to growing suspicion.
On the opposition's programme and agitation planned for November 1, Lochav said democratic protest rights are being curtailed in several ways. He pointed to Jantar Mantar, a long-standing venue for peaceful demonstrations, and asserted that the opposition will continue raising its voice against government policies.
Lochav criticised the BJP for attempting to shift the focus whenever questions arise about the electoral process or other issues. He said complaints about voter lists have been reported from different states and demanded impartial inquiries into them.
He also raised questions about the processes of adding and deleting names in voter lists during the Maharashtra and Haryana elections. Lochav urged the Election Commission to make all relevant data and procedures public so that voters are not confused.