Ensure voters' names on list for local polls: Cong asks SEC

The Gujarat unit of Congress today asked the State Election Commission (SEC) to ensure that "large scale deletion of voters' names" does not take place in the remaining local bodies polls as in case of recently held municipal corporation polls.
A delegation of Congress leaders led by Dipak Babaria met State Election Commissioner Varesh Sinha and submitted a representation regarding deletion of names of voters from voting list due to which they could not vote during the six Municipal Corporation polls held on November 22.
"In the representation we have raised the issue of large scale deletion of voters name from electoral rolls due to which they could not vote," Babaria told reporters.

"We have asked them to ensure that the same thing is not repeated in the remaining local bodies elections which are going to be held on November 29," he said, adding the SEC has assured us of action.
Polling for 31 district panchayats, 230 taluka panchayats and 56 municipalities is scheduled to take place on November 29.
During the polls to the six municipal corporations, many voters complained that their names were deleted from voters' list due to which they could not vote.

Congress had alleged that SEC under the influence of BJP state government had deleted names of mostly Patel voters so that they would not vote against BJP after quota stir.

Sinha said, "they made representation about missing names from the voters' list."
"We told them that returning officer (the district collectors) are responsible for the list and we also told them that SEC goes by the voters' list prepared by Election Commission of India," Sinha said.