Dead voters, scanned affidavits: UP CEO questions SP’s missing votes claim

The office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Uttar Pradesh, has responded to Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s allegations of voter deletion in the state. The CEO’s office claimed that SP had even sent affidavits in the names of people who had died years ago. Along with this, the poll panel has asked the SP to submit original copies of all affidavits, clarifying that only scanned copies were emailed.

No originals submitted

Amid Rahul Gandhi’s allegations of “vote theft,” the affidavit controversy in UP is escalating. Akhilesh Yadav has repeatedly claimed that despite submitting affidavits and complaints about 18,000 missing voters, no action has been taken.

Also read | Akhilesh raises voter list issue from 2022 UP polls in Parliament

Responding to this, the CEO’s office said that not a single original affidavit has been received; only scanned copies were emailed. The office has directed SP to send originals so that verification can be carried out.

Affidavits of dead voters

The CEO’s office further stated that SP submitted affidavits in the names of people who had already died years ago. Investigations revealed that some of these voters had passed away long before 2022, yet affidavits bearing November 2022 dates were sent in their names.

CEO's word of caution

The CEO’s office also said that furnishing false evidence is a legal offence. For some time now, Akhilesh Yadav has been alleging that the names of his supporters and voters from several districts have been deleted from the electoral rolls. The commission clarified that complaints received pertain to 33 districts. Investigations in five constituencies have been completed, revealing that several affidavits were submitted in the names of people who later denied giving them.

Posting its response on social media, the CEO’s office wrote: “It is possible that while sending the email, your (Samajwadi Party’s) office mistakenly attached only 3,919 affidavits and saved them in different folders. Kindly make available the original copies of all 18,000 affidavits, either at the office of the CEO, UP, or with the respective District Election Officers, or the Electoral Registration Officer of the concerned Assembly constituency, so that the investigation can proceed.”

(This article was originally published in The Federal Desh.)