Name missing, ex-minister alleges bungling in voter list

Tribune News Service
Dharamsala, January 13

Former minister and AICC secretary Sudhir Sharma, who has found his name missing from the list of voters for the forthcoming panchayat elections, has alleged large-scale bungling in voter lists.

While talking to The Tribune, Sudhir Sharma said that he was away for the past about one month as the party had deputed him in Bihar and West Bengal. “I came to Dharamsala today and found that my name has been deleted from the list of voters”, he said.

The former minister said that he was consulting his lawyers and would move Himachal High Court against removal of his name from the voter list.

He also threatened to launch an agitation over the matter. “My name is there in the list of voters for the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections but it has been deleted in the list for panchayat elections. In the last panchayat elections I had voted from Rakkar panchayat near Dharamsala where I have my permanent residence. However, this year, my name was not there in the list,” he said.

“I have made inquiries from people and supporters in many villages in Kangra district. They have told me that in many villages over 100 to 200 people are finding their names missing in the new voter lists for panchayats poll. It was clear that the present government has tried to rig the panchayat elections by deleting names of Congress workers from the voters list,” Sudhir alleged.

Inquiries made by The Tribune revealed that while the elections for Parliament and Himachal assembly were conducted by the Central Election Commission the elections for panchayats, zila parishad and block samitis were conducted by the state election commission that comes under the jurisdiction of the state government. The state election commission maintains separate voter lists for panchayat elections which are not in synchronization with the voter lists of Central Election Commission.

Earlier, Bharmaur residents had alleged that names of a number of voters had gone missing from the voters list.

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