Elephant, deer, Sunny Leone all make voters' list in UP

Film actor Sunny Leone is a voter in Ballia but goes by the name of Durgawati, if the voters’ list that was being prepared for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections is to be believed.

An elephant, a pigeon and a deer were also on the list.

The errors were detected and set right during the process of verification of the list, an official said on Saturday, blaming a disgruntled data operator.

Actor Sunny Leone’s picture was pasted against the name of voter Durgawati, Kunwar Ankur Singh was represented by a deer and Kunwar Gaurav Singh looked exactly like a pigeon, according to the list.

Another victim was Narad Rai, a former minister in the Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav governments in Uttar Pradesh.

He had a picture of an elephant pasted beside his name in the updated voters' list.

District officials blamed a data operator for the mischief and have recommended his dismissal.

"A data operator on contract, Vishnu Verma, was sore over his transfer and indulged in this," Additional District Magistrate Mukul Kumar Singhal told PTI.

"Out of mischief, he pasted such pictures against the names of seven voters," the ADM said.

He added the Election Commission was informed and the errors corrected.

The mischief was discovered during the verification of the list, he said.

Ballia Superintendent of Police Sriparna Ganguly said an FIR has been lodged against the data operator at Ballia Kotwali police station.