New Delhi: Even as a heated exchange rages between the AAP and opposition BJP over allegations of names being struck off from Delhi’s electoral roll ahead of the February assembly elections, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer declared on Monday that it has received as many as 82,450 applications for deletions and 4.8 lakh applications for new registrations since November 29.
As per a statement, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer stated that the final electoral roll is currently under preparation and is scheduled for publication on January 6, 2025, after making any additions, deletions, or modifications, if necessary.
The CEO office added that FIRs have been registered against eight individuals for allegedly submitting false documents for registration as a voter in the Okhla Assembly constituency of the city.
“Submission of false documents for obtaining Voter ID is a punishable offence. Strict action will be taken against such violations,” the statement said.
The AAP and BJP have been engaged in a bitter war of words over the alleged deliberate removal of voters’ names from the electoral roll. The AAP has accused the BJP of submitting bulk applications to delete the names of voters in constituencies where they fear a loss. On the other hand, the BJP has accused the AAP of attempting to grant voter ID cards to illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants to use them as a vote bank.
In the statement, the Chief Electoral Office said it is actively carrying out the Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls with the qualifying date set as January 1, 2025.
This process is being conducted as per the instructions of the Election Commission of India, ensuring that the electoral rolls remain updated and inclusive for all eligible voters, it said.
From August 20, 2024, to October 18, 2024, house-to-house verification was carried out by Booth Level Officers during the pre-revision period. The exercise aimed to identify unregistered eligible citizens, prospective voters who will turn 18 by October 1, 2025, as well as electors who have permanently shifted, passed away, or have duplicate entries.
On October 29, 2024, the draft electoral rolls was published, inviting public to file claims and objections. Until November 28, 2024, these were accepted and all the claims and objections received were already disposed by December 24, 2024, the statement said.
“The final electoral roll, reflecting these updates, is scheduled for publication on January 6, 2025,” the statement said. It added that between November 29 and the present date, 4,85,624 applications for new registrations, 82,450 applications for deletions, and 1,71,385 applications for modifications have been received.
Sounding a warning, the CEO office said multiple entries in the electoral roll or multiple voter ID cards is a punishable offense under Sections 17 and 18 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. “Recently, FIRs have been filed against eight individuals for submitting false documents for voter registration in the Okhla Assembly constituency in Delhi. Strict action will continue to be taken against such violations,” it said.
Sanjay Singh claims BJP trying to remove wife’s name from electoral roll
Meanwhile, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Monday said that he would lodge a defamation case against BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and its IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya for their claims that his wife Anita Singh is not a registered voter in Delhi.
In response to Singh’s allegation that the BJP was attempting to remove his wife’s name from the electoral roll, Tiwari and Malviya asserted that while the AAP leader and his wife cast their votes in Delhi during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, an affidavit filed by Anita Singh reveals that she is a registered voter in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. This, they argued, renders her vote in Delhi both “invalid” and “illegal.” They also asked the Election Commission to take immediate action on this “serious violation”.
(With inputs from PTI)
