Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], November 21 : Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has claimed that multiple pieces of evidence have emerged indicating "manipulation" in the electoral rolls, including large-scale additions and deletions of voters in several states, adding that if the Election Commission of India continues to remain silent on the issue, then it's an indication that claims made by opposition parties are valid.
"A lot of evidence are surfacing that imply additions and deletions in the electoral rolls and a lot of voters were removed in Bihar under SIR. LoP Rahul Gandhi even held 2 press conferences regarding the addition and deletions in Haryana and Karnataka. Aaditya Thackeray himself mentioned how duplication of voters and voting patterns was repeated in his own constituency, which was also visible in the records in Patna. If the Election Commission will not answer clearly, it will prove that the election outcomes are being affected through manipulation of electoral rolls," Chaturvedi said.
More than 50.40 crore electors, nearly 99 per cent, have received enumeration forms under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 states and union territories, according to the Election Commission of India.
There are 50.97 crores voters across these 12 states and union territories as on October 27, the Election Commission said.
The states and UTs included in the second phase of SIR are Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.
Inthe first round of SIR, the exercise in Bihar began on June 24. Approximately 65 lakh electors were found to be ineligible and were not included in the draft roll published on August 1. Opposition parties have claimed that voter list is being tampered by the ECI to favour poll outcomes in favour of the BJP.
In October, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar defended the decision of the poll body to conduct the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list ahead of the Bihar assembly elections, asserting that for someone to say that the revision should be conducted after the elections is "unjustified".
The Chief Election Commissioner clarified that conducting the SIR is both legal and mandated under the Representation of the People Act.