2 hrs ago
Congress accuses election chief of disenfranchising voters over Goa SIR
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused Election Commission chief Gyanesh Kumar of unfairly removing people from voter lists.
He was discussing a report about how voter records were handled in Goa.
Ramesh said Goa’s election officer sent eight emails in one week about valid voters whose names had been deleted.
He said local election officers had checked that the voters were valid, but their names were still removed.
He also said a computer system called ECINet made it harder for local officers to restore names.
The report said some election commissioners had objected to decisions made in the commission’s name.
The Election Commission has defended its system as decentralized, meaning many local officers work on voter lists.
Ramesh and the report argued that the Goa case raises questions about whether that system was actually being followed.
Jairam Ramesh accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of implementing a “Method of Disenfranchising Indians.”
Ramesh said Goa’s chief electoral officer emailed the Election Commission eight times in seven days about valid voters deleted by ECINet.
He alleged the emails were ignored despite electoral registration officers confirming the voters’ eligibility.
Ramesh said ECINet restrictions prevented local officers from restoring names and that additions through Form 6 had become more difficult.
The allegations followed reports that two election commissioners objected to decisions taken in the panel’s name without their knowledge.
- Who
- Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the Election Commission of India of mishandling voter rolls.
- What
- Ramesh alleged that valid voters were deleted, local officers were restricted from restoring names, and new voter registration was made more difficult.
- Where
- The reported voter-roll dispute concerned Goa; Ramesh also referred to alleged deletions or flags in Delhi and across Indian states.
- When
- The allegations were made on Thursday, following an investigative report and its follow-up in The Indian Express.
- Why
- Ramesh said the actions compromised the election process and could disenfranchise voters, including young people applying through Form 6.
Congress and report’s allegations
Election Commission’s stated defense
Control of voter rolls
Congress and report’s allegations
Ramesh and the cited reporting said ECINet centralized control, restricted electoral registration officers, and prevented some local restoration of voter names.
Election Commission’s stated defense
The Election Commission’s defense, as described in the report, is that a decentralized system involving thousands of electoral registration officers protects voter rolls against fraud.
Effect of the Goa case
Congress and report’s allegations
Congress and the report’s journalist argued that Goa showed the decentralization defense was not operating as claimed and that valid voters were deleted.
Election Commission’s stated defense
The commission’s cited position emphasizes the decentralized structure as a safeguard, but the supplied reports do not include a direct response to the specific Goa allegations.
Key facts
- Main accuser
- Jairam Ramesh of the Congress
- Official criticized
- Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar
- Reported location
- Goa
- Emails cited
- Goa’s chief electoral officer reportedly wrote to the Election Commission eight times in seven days
- Software mentioned
- ECINet
- Voter-roll issue
- Ramesh said valid voters confirmed by electoral registration officers were nevertheless deleted
- Additional allegation
- Ramesh said access restrictions prevented local officers from restoring names and made Form 6 additions more difficult
Quotes
Jairam Ramesh
Senior Congress leader and party spokesperson
“The election process has been thoroughly compromised and vitiated. This is Gyanesh Kumar implementing the Method of Disenfranchising Indians (MODI). As a first step the CEC Gyanesh Kumar must resign immediately if he has any shred of decency and morality left in him.”
telegraphindia.com
“The Goa CEO wrote to the ECI 8 times in 7 days for inclusion of valid voters deleted by the ECINet software. Goa’s Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) had confirmed these were valid voters. The emails were ignored and voters deleted.”
timesnownews.com
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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