Delhi's voter roll hike sparks scrutiny: Voter applications surge by 5.1 lakh since AAP poll promises

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ET OnlineLast Updated: Jan 07, 2025, 02:55:00 PM IST

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The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer received a surge of over 5.1 lakh applications for voter registration after December 15, prompting concerns and requiring strict scrutiny. This unusual increase coincided with AAP's populist announcements, leading to investigations and eight FIRs over suspected fraudulent submissions.

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The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Delhi received over 5.1 lakh forms for the addition of names to the electoral roll after December 15, raising concerns about the timing of the surge. Officials confirmed to TOI on Monday that, during the special summary revision exercise held from October 29 to November 28, nearly 1.4 lakh Form-6 applications were processed and included in the final electoral roll.

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However, another 1.7 lakh forms were received even after the deadline, sparking suspicions. Sources told TOI that this surge coincided with the announcement by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of its populist promises, including Rs 2,100 per month for women and free healthcare for senior citizens.

The CEO office issued clear instructions for closer scrutiny of these additional forms. "This unexpected surge, especially after the deadline for receiving claims and objections, calls for greater scrutiny," a statement from it read.

It further highlighted that directions have been given to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to rigorously verify each form in line with Election Commission of India (ECI) guidelines. Field verification will be conducted in every case, with personal hearings arranged for suspicious applications.

So far, eight FIRs have been filed against 24 individuals for allegedly submitting fraudulent or tampered documents to obtain voter IDs, according to the TOI report. Stringent action will be taken against anyone found guilty of submitting false claims.

Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva welcomed the move, reiterating his party's concerns over the influx of voter applications based on allegedly forged documents. He emphasised the need for thorough scrutiny of all applications. Meanwhile, AAP has raised questions about why the Election Commission has not addressed the massive number of voter deletion requests.

"If the Election Commission were transparent, every BJP leader involved in these mass voter deletions would be behind bars," AAP argued, accusing BJP leaders of involvement in the deletion process and denying responsibility for the applications.

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