Punjab Newsline | Chandigarh
Punjab government moved a resolution against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar in the state Assembly, demanding an independent and impartial investigation into alleged irregularities in voter list revisions. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also targeted the BJP’s allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), questioning their responsibility amid complaints of eligible voters’ names being deleted from electoral rolls.
AAP MLAs Inderjit Kaur criticised the NDA allies for continuing to support the BJP-led government at the Centre. Naming Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief Chandrababu Naidu and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar, they questioned why the parties supporting the BJP were not taking greater responsibility over the alleged irregularities during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Earlier, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema introduced the resolution in the Assembly, calling for a fair investigation into complaints regarding the deletion of eligible voters’ names and greater accountability from the Election Commission.
Cheema said Indian democracy was founded on the constitutional principles of equality, justice and the supremacy of the people. He stressed that the right to vote was the foundation of the democratic system and that no eligible citizen should be deprived of this right unlawfully.
The minister expressed concern over complaints that large numbers of citizens had been removed from voter lists across the country. He said such allegations raised serious questions about the transparency and impartiality of the electoral process, as well as the accountability of the Election Commission.
Cheema invokes Ambedkar, raises concerns over vulnerable voters
Referring to the contribution of Dr BR Ambedkar, Cheema said that before Independence, voting rights were largely restricted to privileged sections of society, including lawyers, doctors, judges, rulers and wealthy individuals. He credited Ambedkar with playing a crucial role in expanding democratic participation to poorer and marginalised sections, including Dalits and Scheduled Castes.
Cheema alleged that complaints of voter deletions threatened the democratic rights of poor and vulnerable communities. He also accused the authorities of targeting minorities and Dalits, insisting that allegations concerning the removal of eligible voters must be investigated impartially.
Alleges use of fake documents to facilitate voter deletions
The Finance Minister referred to a conversation with Karnataka's Revenue Minister and alleged that forged documents and misleading claims were being presented before Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to facilitate the deletion of votes belonging to poor people and supporters of opposition parties.
He also cited a reported reduction of around 40,000 votes in Delhi and referred to AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal while raising concerns over voter list revisions.
Cheema maintained that the right to vote was central to democracy and that unlawfully denying an eligible citizen this right would violate constitutional values.
Resolution seeks independent investigation and legal action
The resolution called for an independent, impartial and credible mechanism to investigate alleged irregularities in electoral processes and decisions related to voter lists under the leadership of CEC Gyanesh Kumar.
It further proposed that criminal proceedings be initiated in accordance with the law if an investigation establishes sufficient evidence of wrongdoing against any individual.
The resolution also urged the Central government and relevant constitutional institutions to ensure the independence, fairness and accountability of the electoral process. It called for copies of the resolution to be forwarded to the President, Prime Minister and Chief Election Commissioner for further action.
Meanwhile, AAP MLAs Inderjit Kaur and Manuke reiterated that the BJP's NDA allies should also be held politically accountable for their support to the ruling party at the Centre, keeping the focus on the role of coalition partners in the ongoing controversy over electoral rolls.
