Now 'glitches' emerge in electoral list in Maharashtra, 'vote chori' charges gain momentum

Mumbai: As the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A. opposition bloc’s vote chori expose gains momentum, cases of glitches in voters list emerged including two big cases in Nalasopara in Palghar district and another in Chandrapur.

A woman, Sushama Gupta, a 39-year-old resident of the Nalasopara assembly constituency in Palghar district near Mumbai, seems to figure six times in the electoral roll, with each entry carrying a different EPIC number.

After the news spread like wildfire, Palghar District Collector and District Election Officer Dr. Indu Rani Jakhar took cognisance of the news.

The Palghar District Information Officer said: "All BLOs have been instructed to thoroughly verify their voter list sections and, as necessary, fill out Form No. 7 for duplicate voters and take action as per the rules. Similarly, in the upcoming voter list revision program, strict scrutiny and action have been instructed to be taken to eliminate duplicate claims, as directed by the District Election Officer and District Collector Dr. Indu Rani Jakhar to all agencies.”

Former Rajura MLA Subhash Dhote flagged a similar issue in Chandrapur district, specifically in Ghugus village (House No. 350), where over 100 voters have been registered.

“In a house in Ghugus village of Chandrapur district in Maharashtra, 119 Hindu and Muslim voters are all listed under the same voter list,” said NCP (SP) leader and MLA Dr Jitendra Awhad.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray says, "In Varanasi, there is a person who has had 34 children in 16 years; you do the math. In Palghar, there is a woman who has 5 voter cards, Minta Devi, who is 124 years old... We have been talking about this vote theft, and now, after being caught, the Election Commission is running away.”