JAMMU: Led by BJP State President and MLA Sat Sharma, a team of senior leaders called on the Chief Electoral Officer Shantmanu and took up the issue of discrepancies in the voter lists, which has invited widespread anger and resentment from the public.
Sat Sharma, while expressing concern over the issue, along with former Minister Bali Bhagat, State Secretary Rajinder Sharma and Jammu East MLA Rajesh Gupta, said that a common complaint has been received by the party from various wards of Jammu and other districts that the voter lists have shown males in place of females, hundreds of voters have been deleted in many wards without assigning any reason, despite proper applications for corrections the names still stand incorrect, even names of such voters who have already exercised their voting rights in the last municipal elections, have been deleted etc.
Sat and other leaders told the Chief Electoral Officer that since the process for under taking the elections of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Panchayats is in progress and the real objective of holding the same with the lists with discrepancies would not be achieved as it will deprive a large number of voters from availing the opportunity to vote. They said that the election authorities should take cognisance of the resentment of people regarding faulty voter lists and a fresh exercise should initiated at the earliest to prepare the right voter lists.
They also suggested the CEO to depute the official staff at each booth for at least five days, where the voters be called to clear all the mistakes so that there is no question mark on the lists prepared after it. CEO Shantmanu gave a patient hearing to the BJP leaders and assured to look into all the issues raised before him.