EC takes on ghost voters in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb. 7. — Names of nearly 13,000 illegal ration card holders will be deleted from the electoral rolls as per the instructions from the Election Commission observer, Mr Manoj Singh, officials said today. Official sources said the EC observer is expecting the detection of another 1,00,000 ghost voters out of the 17,00,000 voters in Malda district. According to report constituted by the EC, the total number of dead and shifted voters is about 45,000 and there is every chance that further probe will help discover another 15,000 bogus voters in the district. The EC observer is also reportedly worried about the inclusion of minor voters in the electoral list in some block areas, officials added. The EC observer has spotted polling stations, where the “form-VI” for the application of new voters is being distributed to the public without proper scrutiny. Investigations revealed that even while the submission of the application forms, adequate inspection is lacking. Reportedly, four villagers have been identified, where applications have been accepted without adequate scrutiny, namely — Radhikapur and Jagannathpur in Harishchandrapur II and Natunnagar in English Bazaar and the village Rajnagar in Kaliachak II. Mr Singh, the EC observer was also taken aback, when he detected inclusion rate of new voters at some blocks is 4 per cent, which is much higher than the inclusion rate of the state. Mr Singh also detected that even when applications for new voters were rejected, sufficient cause behind the rejections was not mentioned in the records. For example, at five polling stations in Kaliachak-III, two polling stations in Kaliachak-II, one polling station in English Bazaar and three in Ratua-I, more than 90 per cent applications for new voters have been rejected. “Following the detection of fall-outs in the electoral works, Mr Singh, the EC observer, reportedly has personally requested the district magistrate, Mr Abhijit Choudhuri, to look into the matter immediately and take appropriate corrective measures”, an officer informed. According to sources, Mr Singh, was reported to have commented: “Tampering with the electoral works like this generally help political parties to capture booths, in the garb of minor, ghost and illegal voters”. #