New Delhi | Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday accused the Election Commission of deleting names of voters belonging to backward communities and acting in favour of the ruling BJP.
Speaking to reporters in Parliament complex, Yadav alleged that names of voters belonging to several backward groups, including the Maurya, Pal, Bhagel and Rathore communities, were being struck off the rolls to benefit the BJP.
“The truth is their votes are being deleted. The SP raised this issue earlier also, but it is important to understand that this is done deliberately to cut the votes of backward classes, while projecting that these votes are going elsewhere,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
Yadav claimed his party had identified constituencies where they lost by a narrow margin and where voter deletions played a role.
“This is what we could identify in a short time. If we receive the voter lists in the format we want, we can provide more such cases. Votes cast in 2019 were deleted by 2022. There is also a proper procedure for creating a voter ID, but that is being ignored,” he charged.
The former chief minister demanded strict action against erring officials.
“Our demand is simple that suspend even one district officer who is responsible. If you do this, not a single vote will be cut anywhere in the country. Show us if in 2019, 2022 or 2024, even one officer was removed for such lapses. Since the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh, not a single officer has been punished, no matter how many complaints are filed. Why is that? It means the EC listens more to the BJP,” Yadav charged.
He also cited a case where, according to him, a BJP legislator had created 400 fake votes at her booth, forcing the SP to get over 200 of them removed.
“This kind of verification is being done by political parties, but why does not the EC conduct such an exercise?” he said.
Criticising the way officials are appointed during elections, Yadav objected to alleged caste-based selections.
“Our demand is very clear that don't appoint Booth Level Officers (BLOs) on the basis of caste, don't appoint presiding officers on caste basis. It appears as if the ruling party decides which official suits them best,” he said.