BHUBANESWAR: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday slammed the State government and the State Election Commission (SEC) for gross errors in the voters list depriving large numbers of people from their Constitutional right to vote.
Voicing concern over irregularities in the voters' list, Pradhan in a series of tweets said reports from different parts of the State stated that many voters have failed to exercise their franchise as their names did not figure in the list.
“It is a matter of great concern and regret that we have not been able to properly compile our voters' list even after 75 years of Independence,” the Union Minister said and added that the careless and arbitrary action of the State government and the SEC is regrettable as it does not augur well with democracy.
Pradhan’s statement came after reports of widespread errors in the voters list were reported from almost all districts during the second, third and fourth phase of the rural polls.
He cited the recent incident of Kalyansingpur block in Rayagada district where hundreds of people belonging to Dongria tribe staged demonstrations after their names were not found on the voters' list.
Similar protests were also reported from border villages of the State, he said and urged the SEC and administration to hold a high-level inquiry.