Puducherry: Opposition AIADMK has sought intervention of the Election Commission to set right defective electoral rolls in the union territory, where it alleged that election authorities have `whimsically` deleted 8,900 names.
Party`s local unit secretary, A Anbalagan, in a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner yesterday alleged that the rolls were defectively prepared in Puducherry, which has 30 constituencies. He said the election department has circulated details of inclusion and deletion of names of voters in the voters list as against the previous electoral rolls.
Alleging that Electoral Registration Officers had not performed their duties diligently, he stated in his petition (a copy of which was distributed to mediapersons) that there was a whimsical approach on their part. Names of 8900 voters were deleted from lists relating to 25 segments in Puducherry district while names of 2,923 voters were included.
Anbalagan said names of 5,982 voters (out of 8900) had been deleted in Uppalam, Oreleanpet and Mudaliarpet constituencies, which accounted for 67 per cent of total deletion of names. Only one name had been deleted each in Mahe and Yanam regions.The deletion was meagre in respect of other constituencies and ranged between seven and 400 names,he said.
He requested the CEC to re-verify the deletions made on the basis of Birth and Death certificates. He also alleged there was political consideration,particularly in respect of AIADMK held constituencies of Uppalam and Mudaliarpet.
Anbalagan represents Uppalam constituency while his brother A Baskar has been elected from Mudaliarpet).
He said the election department has not informed electors who said they shifted residences in the two constituencies and sought error-free rolls for conduct of free and fair polls.
He requested the EC to direct election authorities here to publish names of electors deleted and also names of those included after publication of last electoral rolls.
Anbalagan also said that while revision of electoral rolls in other states was scheduled for 30 days from October 1 to 31, in Puducherry it was for 20 days from Oct 10 to Nov 1 and said there should be extension of period of revision of rolls.
PTI
