Arvind Kejriwal meets CEC over deletion of names from voters’ list

AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal met Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat Friday alleging that names of party supporters have been deleted from voters’ list, and claimed that the EC has agreed to take up a verification exercise at two places in Delhi. He accused the ruling BJP of having gotten the names deleted from the voters’ list in “collusion” with lower-rung officials because it was apparently staring at a defeat in 2019 general elections.

“It’s possible your name is deleted but you can not check it on Election Commission website because an old list is there. We have appealed to them (EC) to upload the names deleted till October 31,” Kejriwal said. On Thursday, Kejriwal had written to Rawat, seeking an appointment to raise the matter. In the letter, he had said a cursory look on the deleted names “showed” most of them were AAP or Congress voters. He also alleged the deletion of names might have been done by officials “at the instance of BJP”.

During his meeting with Rawat Friday, Kejriwal was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. Kejriwal said the Election Commission informed him that 10 lakh voters’ names were deleted and 13 lakh were added since the last assembly election in Delhi in 2015. “Most of the deleted names are those of our volunteers, family members of MLAs and others supporting the party,” he claimed.

Kejriwal also demanded that “strict action” be taken against officials found guilty in the matter. The Election Commission has agreed for a sample survey in Lalkuan and Tughlaqabad by its officials in presence of representatives of political parties. The verification will be video recorded, he said.

“If it is found that names have been deleted wrongly, not only guilty officials will be punished but the exercise will be carried out in all assembly segments in Delhi, Election Commission said,” he told reporters. The AAP has said a “verification inquiry” directed by Kejriwal found that nine names of AAP volunteers were deleted without proper verification of their addresses. If lists of deleted names are uploaded on Election Commission website political parties can at least help people get their names added to the voters’ list, he said adding the commission has rejected the demand to provide soft copies of deleted names to political parties.