Give proof that voters were 'deleted': ECI tells Akhilesh Yadav

ECI has asked Akhilesh to furnish the proof to the Commission by November 10, so that necessary action can be taken. Yadav has been asked to submit Assembly-wise data of deletions of such magnitude.

New Delhi: The Election Commission of India has asked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to submit proof to substantiate his allegation made at public fora that ECI deliberately deleted 20,000 voters from Yadav and Muslim communities in almost all UP Assembly constituencies, at BJP's behest.

ECI has asked Akhilesh to furnish the proof to the Commission by November 10, so that necessary action can be taken. Yadav has been asked to submit Assembly-wise data of deletions of such magnitude. Addressing a party meeting last month, Yadav had accused the poll panel of "deleting" the names of Muslim and Yadav votes in every assembly constituency.

It is learned that the Commission had told Yadav that it had not received any complaint about the deletion of names of 20,000 voters from the electoral rolls of any constituency. The Commission also said that its district and state electoral officers had not flagged any such issue of mass deletion of voters' names from electoral rolls in every assembly constituency.

The poll authority said one Samajwadi Party candidate had complained about the deletion of names of 10,000 voters from the electoral rolls in Aligang assembly constituency. The Commission said on inquiry, the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh had found the allegations with regard to the Aligang assembly seat to be "baseless, unsubstantiated and factually incorrect".

Given the legal provisions for the preparation of the electoral roll and safeguards against wrongful deletions, the SOPs laid by the Commission leave no scope for mass deletion of the names of bonafide electors from the electoral roll. The Commission said suo-moto deletion of names of voters is strictly prohibited during an election year.

It noted that each and every deletion is made after following due procedure of law by giving ample opportunity to the person concerned.