Now, CPM complains against dual voters

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Jan.13. — The Malda election officials today began an inquiry into the complaints against dual voters in the three blocks of the district, following instructions from the Election Commission observer, Mr D Singh.The CPI-M’s district secretary and the convener of the Left Front, Mr Jiban Moitra, lodged a complaint with the EC observer today against the existence of dual voters. In his complaint, Mr Moitra wrote: “We are apprehending existence of thousands of dual voters, who are exercising their voting rights both in Bengal and Jharkhand, while living in Kaliachak II, Ratua I and Manikchak blocks”. He also informed the observer to exercise extreme caution on the issue of “Form 7”, used for deletion of voters’ name from the electoral rolls. “We have found several electoral photo identity card holders at Gadia, an isolated Ganga island in the Manikchak block close to Jharkhand,” a senior district election official said. “There are many EPIC holders in the other two blocks as well, particularly the families who were displaced owing to erosion on the left bank of the Ganga,” the official added. “We are planning to contact Jharkhand government to cross-check the facts regarding people with dual voting rights in Jharkhand before coming to a decision,” a senior district administration official said. A few years ago, though the district election office took initiative to delete the names of dual voters during electoral roll revision, it was not executed properly, official sources informed.The EC observer today also visited the Habibpur block, a tribal dominated area close to Indo-Bangladesh border to check the electoral rolls, distribution of EPIC and rights of voters from Bangladesh who have settled in the block as Indian citizens.