Gujarat election commission, agency in spat over voters’ list errors

While the district panchayat elections are only a month away, a tussle is on over the issue of rectification of errors made in the voters' list. The State Election Commission (SEC) and an agency, which has been allotted the job of preparing the voters' list, are leveling charges against each other over the same.

Sources in the state government confirmed the goof-up in the preparation of voters' list but the state election commission authorities are denying the existence of any such issue.

Sources in the state government said, "There are some small, but serious issues in the voters' lists. The new voters' lists are prepared on the basis of new delimitation, but some of the voters' lists in some areas are not reflecting the delimitation. For instance, if a voters' list is supposed to have the names of voters from only five villages it is having the names of voters from six villages. This means some other list will have names of voters form only four villages."

According to sources, a similar issue had surfaced in the voters' list of Rajkot, Surendranagar, and Ghogha block of Bhavnagar district. "Now, there is tension between the agencies and the SEC over the rectification of voters' lists. The SEC is worried that this may pose a problems in the future and is asking the agencies to rectify the same by deleting the additional names in the new voters' list and adding them to the list where they are missing. But the agency wants the SEC to give this instruction in writing," said the sources.

However, PS Shah, secretary of state election commission denied the existence of any such issue.

"I have not heard of any such issue in the voters' list and have not come across any complaint," Shah said.