PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Senior leaders of Uttarakhand Congress held a demonstration outside the office of the Election Commission of India in New Delhi on Thursday on the issue of irregularities in the ongoing process of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. Led by the in-charge of Uttarakhand Congress Kumari Selja, the leaders sat on a Dharna outside the office of ECI. The Congress leaders held a vociferous demonstration against what they claimed was a deliberate attempt to delete the names of a large number of voters from the electoral rolls of Uttarakhand.
Interacting with the media persons, Selja said that large scale irregularities are occurring in the SIR process in Uttarakhand.
She claimed that names of eligible voters are being wrongly deleted from the rolls. “Some are told they do not live at their address. Even young people are declared dead, others are marked absent,’’ she said.
Selja said that it is surprising to see that some persons have submitted a large number of complaints for deleting the names of thousands of voters. She added that what is more surprising is that there is no information about the complainant, their name or their whereabouts.
“ The notices are being issued but they never reach the people and no action is being taken against those who commit these wrongdoings. The saddest thing is why the Election Commission is not keeping itself above the wrong policies of the BJP government,’’ she asked.
Selja said that the Congress party has always respected the ECI and during the Congress regime, the commission enjoyed certain status and dignity.
She added that according to our Constitution, every citizen’s right to vote is crucial. However, today the BJP government appears to lack faith in the Constitution and the dignity of constitutional institutions is being consistently undermined.
The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal, the leader of opposition in the Vidhan Sabha Yashpal Arya, the chairman of the election campaign committee Pritam Singh, former PCC president Karan Mahara, chairman of the election management committee Harak Singh Rawat, Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Gurdip Sappal, national spokesperson of Congress Pawan Kheda and Qazi Nizamuddin participated in the protest.
CEO Uttarakhand invites Godiyal for discussion on SIR
DEHRADUN: The office of the chief electoral officer (CEO) Uttarakhand has invited a high level delegation of Uttarakhand Congress for discussion on its objections in the ongoing process of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the State. In a letter directed to the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal, the assistant chief electoral officer (ACEO) Mastu Das has said that the delegation of the Congress party can visit the office of CEO for discussion on August 21 at 3 PM or at any other time suited to it on any working day. The invitation of the CEO Uttarakhand comes at a time when the Congress party is registering its strong protest on the process of SIR in the State.
