The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Make electoral rolls realistic: H.K. Patil

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Wednesday, Jan 09, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Make electoral rolls realistic: H.K. Patil

Staff Reporter

‘Large-scale discrepancies noted in the voters’ list’
‘List not notified and meetings not held with parties’

Bangalore: H.K. Patil, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, has urged Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami to set up an enquiry commission to investigate and study the malpractice, lacunae and the impact of “grossly defective voter list.”

In a letter to Mr. Gopalaswami, copies of which were released to the media on Monday, Mr. Patil said that in each constituency, about 15,000 to 35,000 names of ineligible persons had been included.

He said: “The Chief Electoral Officer has claimed that intensive enumeration of voters was started in June 2007 and the draft published on November 2, while time was given till November 17 to file claims and objections to the list.

It is unfortunate that the draft roll, which is to be published, is not published in accordance with law and rules.”

Names of the dead, those who have shifted their place of residences, duplication of names and some names that did not exist at all have been included.

“There is hardly any constituency where such erroneous inclusion has not taken place,” he said.

“In view of these lapses, carelessness and the malpractice, it is estimated that about 30 lakh to 40 lakh names have either crept in or continue to be on the list, thereby diluting the quality and credibility of the voter lists.”

Mr. Patil has alleged that the draft voter rolls were not notified in required offices, not circulated to political parties and that no meetings were held with the parties.

He has urged the Election Commission of India to take steps to make “electoral rolls realistic and do all that is necessary to increase the level of confidence of the people in electoral rolls.”

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