New Delhi, Oct 06: Faced with a volley of complaints questioning the fidelity of the electoral rolls in some states going to polls shortly, Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh today said political parties in Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh were active while in Delhi they were "sleeping". "In Madhya Pradesh and Chhatisgarh political parties have been active and vigilant....But in Delhi they are sleeping," he said while announcing the poll schedule at a press conference here.
Observing that a number of complaints were received from the states, particularly Delhi, MP and Chhatisgarh, on the electoral rolls, he said both in MP and Chhattisgarh action had been taken immediately after complaints were received and the electoral rolls rectified by the end of June.
However, in Delhi, where complaints were a continuing affair, teams from the election commission were deputed to scrutinize the rolls, he said.
Stating that there was a difference between the administration in Delhi and that in the states, Lyngdoh said "the deputy commissioners in Delhi are only in name with practically no staff and their authority is limited".
Under these circumstances, he felt it was difficult to have electoral rolls in Delhi of the same standard as in states.
The CEC said hundreds of people have been borrowed from other departments and put on the job in Delhi.
Referring to the commission's efforts for the first time to disseminate and publicise the electoral rolls through gram sabhas and ward sabhas, Lyngdoh said "this initiative we owe to Rajasthan. It was a very useful tool". Bureau Report