Voter deletion row sparks heated debate at Delhi election office meet

The AAP and Congress alleged that voters were being disenfranchised in the revision of electoral rolls without adequate opportunity to present their case, while the BJP defended the procedure, saying it was conducted as per norms.

In Short

• AAP and Congress claim disenfranchisement without due process
• BJP defends revision of electoral rolls as per norms
• Delhi's Chief Electoral Officer promises thorough review of complaints

The controversy surrounding alleged voter deletions took centre stage during a heated all-party meeting convened by the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled for early next year. The ruling AAP and Congress raised serious concerns over the alleged removal of voters from the electoral rolls, accusing officials of disenfranchising citizens without due process.

The core of the dispute lay in the process of summary revision conducted by election officials, which BJP representatives defended as satisfactory. In stark contrast, Congress and AAP argued that voters were being disenfranchised without adequate opportunity to present their case, leading to fears of potential manipulation of the democratic process.

Key figures like AAP's Pankaj Gupta and Jasmine Shah, along with Congress's Chatar Singh, voiced strong objections to the summary revision process undertaken by election officials. According to the two parties, the process lacked transparency and fairness, potentially jeopardising the democratic process.

Singh alleged a sharp decline in voter registrations, pointing to anomalies in the data. He noted that since the 2013 Assembly polls, voter registrations had increased by at least 10 per cent per election, but this year saw an increase of just over 3 per cent. Even with all four lakh pending applications for voter additions approved, Singh argued that the growth would remain far below historical trends, raising suspicions about intentional or inadvertent biases in the voter deletion process.

The BJP, however, defended the revision process, arguing that it was conducted as per established norms. Party leaders flagged concerns of their own, citing unusually high voter registrations at single addresses in certain slum areas, suggesting irregularities that warrant scrutiny.

The Delhi CEO's office assured all parties of a thorough review of the complaints and voter applications.