A delegation from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by National Convener Arvind Kejriwal, met with the Election Commission on Thursday to address concerns regarding alleged irregularities in the voter registration process for the upcoming New Delhi Legislative Assembly elections.
Kejriwal Raises Concerns About Voter Fraud
Kejriwal highlighted the surge in voter registrations and deletions, claiming that these activities pointed to potential voter fraud.
Former Delhi CM Kejriwal asserted that 5,500 votes were registered in just 22 days. He further claimed that 18 of the 89 individuals who applied to remove those 5,500 names from the voter list denied submitting the request.
Addressing the media after meeting the Election Commissioners, Kejriwal stated, “The Chief Election Commissioner is out, but we met with the other two commissioners. One of the issues we raised was regarding the New Delhi Legislative Assembly. Between 15 December and 7 January, a total of 5,500 votes were registered in just 22 days. The total votes in this assembly are 1,00,000. This means that 5.5 percent of the votes registered in the last 22 days, which clearly indicates some irregularities. There are issues with these applications.”
“When the lower officials investigated, the individuals whose names appeared on these applications denied having submitted any request to cut votes. 89 people had applied for 5,500 votes, and 18 of them came to the Election Commission and denied submitting any applications. This means there is a large-scale election fraud happening,” added the AAP National Convener.
Kejriwal further claimed that over 13,000 new voter applications had been received from 15 December to 8 January.
Kejriwal Calls For Investigation Into Alleged Corruption By BJP Candidate
Additionally, he accused BJP candidate Parvesh Verma of engaging in corrupt practices. These included distributing money, organizing health camps, and promising job fairs ahead of the election.
The AAP National Convener urged the Election Commission to investigate these activities, claiming they violated electoral rules.
“Where did all these people come from in just 15 days? These people are coming from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to get fake votes registered. Thirdly, we pointed out that Parvesh Verma in the New Delhi seat is openly distributing money, and health camps are being held with glasses being distributed. He announced on January 15 that job fairs will be held. All of this falls under corrupt practices according to the Election Commission’s rules. Parvesh Verma should barred from contesting the election,” Kejriwal said.
He further added, “We are happy that the Election Commission assured us that these corrupt practices will not be allowed to happen, and strict actions will be taken. We also requested that the local EROs (Election Registration Officers) be removed from their positions. Yesterday, we submitted an application regarding this, but no action was taken.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Delhi CM Atishi sent another letter to the Chief Election Commissioner. She highlighted concerns about the addition and removal of voter names in the New Delhi Assembly constituency and requested an urgent meeting.
She had previously addressed the same issue in a letter on 5 January.
The Delhi Assembly elections will likely take place on 5 February, with the vote counting scheduled for 8 February.
In the 2020 elections, AAP secured 62 out of 70 seats, while the BJP won only 8 seats.
Also Read: This ‘Galli-Galoch’ Party Has No Agenda: CM Atishi Slams BJP
To read more such news, download Bharat Express news apps
