Fake voters galore

N D Sharma

V L Kantha Rao The number of fake voters has become a formidable issue in Madhya Pradesh where Assembly elections are due by the end of the year. The Opposition Congress first alleged the number of fake voters around 60 lakh. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer refuted the Congress allegation and the BJP leaders ridiculed the Congress claim. However, on a direction from the Election Commission of India, a summary revision of voters’ lists was held in several districts and as many as 24 lakh fake voters were detected and deleted. In early July, the Election Commission removed Chief Electoral Officer Salina Singh and appointed in her place V L Kantha Rao as the CEO.

The Congress was emboldened to pay greater attention to the problem of fake voters after the two Assembly byelections in February this year. During the campaign, Congress activists detected discrepancies in voters’ lists.

The Congress is not fully satisfied. In mid-August, the party submitted another memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer claiming that over 17 lakh fake voters were found during a scrutiny of electoral rolls across 53 Assembly constituencies in the State. Madhya Pradesh Congress Media Cell chairperson Shobha Oza told reporters that scrutiny done by a private agency hired by the party had found 17.15 lakh ‘duplicate and fake voters’ across 53 Assembly constituencies. She said, ‘in the memorandum submitted to the CEO, the State Congress urged him to remove the names of these duplicate and fake voters. We have also submitted a CD comprising the names of these duplicate and fake voters’. Final publication of the electoral rolls in the State is scheduled for September 27.

Kamal Nath It seems the voters’ lists were prepared by the bureaucrats deployed for the purpose with meticulous dishonesty. While duplicate and fake names were added to the list, the names of those who were considered certain to vote against the ruling BJP were deleted.
That is what Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Kamal Nath felt after it was found that the name of Yadavendra Singh was found deleted. Yadavendra Singh is an important Congress leader of Bundelkhand region and was a minister in the Digvijaya Singh government.

Yadavendra Singh Kamal Nath quipped that he would himself have to check now if his name was still there in the electoral rolls. CEO Kantha Rao promised an inquiry as to how Singh’s name was deleted and by whom. The Congress was emboldened to pay greater attention to the problem of fake voters after the two Assembly by-elections in February this year. During the campaign, Congress activists detected discrepancies in voters’ lists. Photocopies showing the same voter registered in more than one locality had started appearing in social media.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan As the complaints at local level did not have the desired effect, the party led by Lok Sabha member from Shivpuri Jyotiraditya Scindia approached the Election Commission. A summary re-check of voters’ lists was ordered. A week before the day of polling, the Ashok nagar district Collector’s office sent its report to the Chief Electoral Officer in Bhopal saying that 1800 fake voters had been detected in Mungaoli Assembly constituency (which falls in Ashoknagar district). Of these 1800, as many as 834 were dead, 312 were listed at more than one place, 245 voters were not traceable and 435 had been transferred to different places but had not got their names in Mungaoli constituency deleted.

Jyotiraditya Scindia Similar was the case for Kolaras Assembly constituency (in Shivpuri district). The BJP candidates were defeated in both the constituencies though Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had made it appear like a life and death question for himself by deputing all the party leaders including his cabinet colleagues to campaign there. The BJP campaign did not recognise the words like ethics and morality. Apart from getting fake voters deleted from electoral roles and deleted names of Congress supporters restored, the Congress is doing practically little else to win the elections. The BJP, on the other hand, is working as if its existence is depending on retaining the power which it has been holding since 2003.

Add to this some superstitious gimmicks which the Congress leaders feel will help them gain power. Congress Campaign Committee chairman Jyotiraditya Scindia was seen launching his campaigns after throwing a sindoor (vermillion)-smeared coconut through the window of his car. On another occasion, he campaigned wearing a garland of nimbu-mirchi (lemon and green chilly). Congress leaders are competing with BJP leaders in visiting temples.
Besides, the experiments being conducted by the two Gujarat Congress leaders deputed to Madhya Pradesh by party president Rahul Gandhi are only drawing chuckles. AICC General Secretary Deepak Bavaria, in charge of Madhya Pradesh affairs, had directed ticket seekers to deposit Rs 50,000 along with their applications.

Deepak Bavaria Substantial amounts had thus come into the party account. However, later the party found the decision ridiculous and revoked Bavaria’s order and the money was returned to the applicants. Another AICC emissary Madhusudan Mistry, who is in charge of screening committee, is getting the applicants sign an affidavit on a Rs 100 stamp paper pleading loyalty to the Congress and promising not to do anything prejudicial to the interests of the Congress if denied the ticket. If someone went against his affidavit pledge, will the party drag him/her to court? In any case, Mistry’s move has made the government exchequer richer by a few lakhs of rupees.

Madhusudan Mistry BJP and RSS leaders are, on the other hand, holding regular confabulations to review the situation on the ground with greater attention paid to the constituencies where the party had lost in 2013. Party leaders and ministers are spending more time on the ground than in Bhopal. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who virtually hates sitting in the Secretariat, has been constantly on the move to be among the people. First it was Narmada Seva Yatra. Then he completed Ekatma Yatra to commemorate Adi Shankaracharya. He had observed during the Yatra that the solution to the problems of the world was possible only through the Advaita Vedanta Darshan as propounded by Adi Shankaracharya. It would also end terrorism and ego-clashes in the world, he had observed. He had concluded Ekatma Yatra at Omkareshwar where a statue of Adi Shankaracharya is being installed. On July 22 he embarked upon another Yatra, called Jan Ashirvad Yatra, after performing

Chouhan is paying sufficient attention to wooing caste leaders. He or his wife Sadhna Singh is invariably present at meetings of caste-based organisations. To woo the Brahmans, the Chief Minister has decided to observe the birth centenary of former President Dr Shanker Dayal Sharma. A Congress leader, Dr Sharma commands great respect in the Brahman community in Madhya Pradesh.

puja of Lord Mahakala temple at Ujjain. This time the Yatra was flagged off by the party’s national president Amit Shah. The purpose of this Yatra is to connect with voters in all the 230 Assembly constituencies before the elections. The Jan Ashirvad Yatra is drawing big crowds. Everywhere Chouhan is making fantastic promises, at places even distributing goodies like mobile phone and transferring compensation amounts to the accounts of the adversely affected farmers and others.

Money? Chouhan says there is no dearth of money for the ‘public cause’. Naturally. When the BJP came to power in 2003, the State had the public debt of Rs 50,000 crore or so. Today it is near Rs 2 lakh crore. Not only that, Chouhan is paying sufficient attention to wooing caste leaders. He or his wife Sadhna Singh is invariably present at meetings of castebased organisations. To woo the Brahmans, the Chief Minister has decided to observe the birth centenary of former President Dr Shanker Dayal Sharma. A Congress leader, Dr Sharma commands great respect in the Brahman community in Madhya Pradesh.



		EDITOR'S MAIL EDITOR'S COMMENT ECONOMIC SCENARIO ECONOMIC SCENARIO FRANKLY SPEAKING REALPOLITIK CARING FOR THE NEEDY SIGNS OF THE TIMES UNSMART CITIES M.P POLITICS SOUTHERN TRENDS PUNJAB POLITICS WEST BENGAL POLITICS TIBET’S FUTURE 2+2 DEAL Imran’s naya PakIstan ? PAGE FROM HISTORY PAK POWER GAMES GLOBAL AFFAIRS REVIEW HITS & MISSES SPORTS DIARY BOOK BAZAAR BOOK BAZAAR HONOURING THE BRAVE YOGA IN DAILY LIFE ART OF LIVING Issue:October' 2018 Subscribe Now	M.P POLITICS Fake voters galore N D Sharma V L Kantha Rao The number of fake voters has become a formidable issue in Madhya Pradesh where Assembly elections are due by the end of the year. The Opposition Congress first alleged the number of fake voters around 60 lakh. The office of the Chief Electoral Officer refuted the Congress allegation and the BJP leaders ridiculed the Congress claim. However, on a direction from the Election Commission of India, a summary revision of voters’ lists was held in several districts and as many as 24 lakh fake voters were detected and deleted. In early July, the Election Commission removed Chief Electoral Officer Salina Singh and appointed in her place V L Kantha Rao as the CEO. The Congress was emboldened to pay greater attention to the problem of fake voters after the two Assembly byelections in February this year. During the campaign, Congress activists detected discrepancies in voters’ lists. The Congress is not fully satisfied. In mid-August, the party submitted another memorandum to the Chief Electoral Officer claiming that over 17 lakh fake voters were found during a scrutiny of electoral rolls across 53 Assembly constituencies in the State. Madhya Pradesh Congress Media Cell chairperson Shobha Oza told reporters that scrutiny done by a private agency hired by the party had found 17.15 lakh ‘duplicate and fake voters’ across 53 Assembly constituencies. She said, ‘in the memorandum submitted to the CEO, the State Congress urged him to remove the names of these duplicate and fake voters. We have also submitted a CD comprising the names of these duplicate and fake voters’. Final publication of the electoral rolls in the State is scheduled for September 27. Kamal Nath It seems the voters’ lists were prepared by the bureaucrats deployed for the purpose with meticulous dishonesty. While duplicate and fake names were added to the list, the names of those who were considered certain to vote against the ruling BJP were deleted. That is what Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Kamal Nath felt after it was found that the name of Yadavendra Singh was found deleted. Yadavendra Singh is an important Congress leader of Bundelkhand region and was a minister in the Digvijaya Singh government. Yadavendra Singh Kamal Nath quipped that he would himself have to check now if his name was still there in the electoral rolls. CEO Kantha Rao promised an inquiry as to how Singh’s name was deleted and by whom. The Congress was emboldened to pay greater attention to the problem of fake voters after the two Assembly by-elections in February this year. During the campaign, Congress activists detected discrepancies in voters’ lists. Photocopies showing the same voter registered in more than one locality had started appearing in social media. Shivraj Singh Chouhan As the complaints at local level did not have the desired effect, the party led by Lok Sabha member from Shivpuri Jyotiraditya Scindia approached the Election Commission. A summary re-check of voters’ lists was ordered. A week before the day of polling, the Ashok nagar district Collector’s office sent its report to the Chief Electoral Officer in Bhopal saying that 1800 fake voters had been detected in Mungaoli Assembly constituency (which falls in Ashoknagar district). Of these 1800, as many as 834 were dead, 312 were listed at more than one place, 245 voters were not traceable and 435 had been transferred to different places but had not got their names in Mungaoli constituency deleted. Jyotiraditya Scindia Similar was the case for Kolaras Assembly constituency (in Shivpuri district). The BJP candidates were defeated in both the constituencies though Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had made it appear like a life and death question for himself by deputing all the party leaders including his cabinet colleagues to campaign there. The BJP campaign did not recognise the words like ethics and morality. Apart from getting fake voters deleted from electoral roles and deleted names of Congress supporters restored, the Congress is doing practically little else to win the elections. The BJP, on the other hand, is working as if its existence is depending on retaining the power which it has been holding since 2003. Add to this some superstitious gimmicks which the Congress leaders feel will help them gain power. Congress Campaign Committee chairman Jyotiraditya Scindia was seen launching his campaigns after throwing a sindoor (vermillion)-smeared coconut through the window of his car. On another occasion, he campaigned wearing a garland of nimbu-mirchi (lemon and green chilly). Congress leaders are competing with BJP leaders in visiting temples. Besides, the experiments being conducted by the two Gujarat Congress leaders deputed to Madhya Pradesh by party president Rahul Gandhi are only drawing chuckles. AICC General Secretary Deepak Bavaria, in charge of Madhya Pradesh affairs, had directed ticket seekers to deposit Rs 50,000 along with their applications. Deepak Bavaria Substantial amounts had thus come into the party account. However, later the party found the decision ridiculous and revoked Bavaria’s order and the money was returned to the applicants. Another AICC emissary Madhusudan Mistry, who is in charge of screening committee, is getting the applicants sign an affidavit on a Rs 100 stamp paper pleading loyalty to the Congress and promising not to do anything prejudicial to the interests of the Congress if denied the ticket. If someone went against his affidavit pledge, will the party drag him/her to court? In any case, Mistry’s move has made the government exchequer richer by a few lakhs of rupees. Madhusudan Mistry BJP and RSS leaders are, on the other hand, holding regular confabulations to review the situation on the ground with greater attention paid to the constituencies where the party had lost in 2013. Party leaders and ministers are spending more time on the ground than in Bhopal. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who virtually hates sitting in the Secretariat, has been constantly on the move to be among the people. First it was Narmada Seva Yatra. Then he completed Ekatma Yatra to commemorate Adi Shankaracharya. He had observed during the Yatra that the solution to the problems of the world was possible only through the Advaita Vedanta Darshan as propounded by Adi Shankaracharya. It would also end terrorism and ego-clashes in the world, he had observed. He had concluded Ekatma Yatra at Omkareshwar where a statue of Adi Shankaracharya is being installed. On July 22 he embarked upon another Yatra, called Jan Ashirvad Yatra, after performing Chouhan is paying sufficient attention to wooing caste leaders. He or his wife Sadhna Singh is invariably present at meetings of caste-based organisations. To woo the Brahmans, the Chief Minister has decided to observe the birth centenary of former President Dr Shanker Dayal Sharma. A Congress leader, Dr Sharma commands great respect in the Brahman community in Madhya Pradesh. puja of Lord Mahakala temple at Ujjain. This time the Yatra was flagged off by the party’s national president Amit Shah. The purpose of this Yatra is to connect with voters in all the 230 Assembly constituencies before the elections. The Jan Ashirvad Yatra is drawing big crowds. Everywhere Chouhan is making fantastic promises, at places even distributing goodies like mobile phone and transferring compensation amounts to the accounts of the adversely affected farmers and others. Money ? Chouhan says there is no dearth of money for the ‘public cause’. Naturally. When the BJP came to power in 2003, the State had the public debt of Rs 50,000 crore or so. Today it is near Rs 2 lakh crore. Money? Chouhan says there is no dearth of money for the ‘public cause’. Naturally. When the BJP came to power in 2003, the State had the public debt of Rs 50,000 crore or so. Today it is near Rs 2 lakh crore. Not only that, Chouhan is paying sufficient attention to wooing caste leaders. He or his wife Sadhna Singh is invariably present at meetings of castebased organisations. To woo the Brahmans, the Chief Minister has decided to observe the birth centenary of former President Dr Shanker Dayal Sharma. A Congress leader, Dr Sharma commands great respect in the Brahman community in Madhya Pradesh.