NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday alleged largescale irregularities in the electoral rolls of Gujarat, with bogus voters to the tune of 5.75 lakh, holding multiple EPIC cards, capable of influencing the outcome of any election.
Giving out a list of seven Assembly constituencies-Naranpur and Vejalpur (in Ahmedabad city), Sayajigan (Vadodara), Vadodara city, Gandhinagar (North), Rajkot (West) and Dabhoi (Vadodara district)-the Congress claimed that in each of them the number of duplicate EPIC card holders ranges from 3,605 t0 4,786 and different names holding same EPIC ranging from 7,486 and 9,707.
In every Assembly segment, 8,000- 10,000 voters are bogus, the Congress claimed. The party’s delegation which met the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Navin Chalwa provided documentary evidence that EPIC cards are used many times in same constituencies.
A large number of women voters, they said, had been enlisted twice as ‘husband’ and ‘wife’ both.
“The irregularities are so extensive that it could decide victory and defeat in the elections,” the party’s spokesperson Manish Tewari said.
He alleged that the officials in the Narendra Modi-ruled state prepare the electoral rolls under the supervision of the political leadership.
Tewari was part of the Congress delegation that met the CEC on Friday.
AICC general secretary B K Hariprasad, Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shaktisinh Gohil and state unit chief Siddharth Patel were also part of the delegation.
Patel raised doubts about the results of the last Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. “The margin of victory was less than 7,000 in 61 Assembly segments, while the fake voters are to the tune of 8,000 and more,” he added.
The Congress said that it was prepared to go to court with the issue if the Election Commission failed to take corrective measures.