A delegation of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) led by its State president K. Atchannaidu once again met Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mukesh Kumar Meena at the Secretariat on November 8 (Wednesday), and complained to him about the “large-scale discrepancies in voter lists.”
Addressing the media later, Mr. Atchannaidu said the fact that about 11 lakh applications [Form-6 (enrolment of new voters), Form-7 (objections for proposed inclusion/deletion of names in existing electoral rolls) and Form-8 (corrections to particulars of persons entered in electoral rolls)] were pending with the Election Commission for disposal was taken to the CEO’s notice, and he promised to inquire into it and take necessary action.
Mr. Atchannaidu said the office of the CEO was promptly communicating the “irregularities” to the District Collectors, but they were apparently not acting upon the complaints.
Similarly, the police were registering FIRs against those who committed voter frauds, but to no avail as follow-up action was not being taken, he alleged.
The CEO was informed about it (the lack of action on complaints of election-related offences). Mr. Meena said he would look into it also, the TDP leader said.
Mr. Atchannaidu said he told the CEO about the alleged illegal engagement of the ward and village volunteers in the preparation and updating of voter lists, and the need to crack the whip thereon.
‘Tree listed as voter’
YSRCP MLA and former Minister P. Anil Kumar was found to have voter cards at three places, and in a bizarre incident, a tree (which was given a name as a person) was added as a voter in the electoral rolls, the TDP leader alleged.
It reflected the government’s callous approach to the exercise of preparing the voter lists for the 2024 elections, Mr. Atchannaidu said, while announcing that the TDP MPs would soon lodge a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) about the said discrepancies in the electoral rolls.
