NEW DELHI: AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi accused the central government on Tuesday of attempting to manipulate the electoral process by getting AAP supporters removed from electoral rolls as the BJP fears defeat in the upcoming assembly elections. She alleged that the district magistrates have directed the officers involved in preparing the voter list to remove names of the AAP supporters.
However, BJP refuted the allegations and said that Atishi’s statement reflected her clear apprehension of defeat.
“The first step was the transfer of 29 SDMs (sub-divisional magistrates) and ADMs (additional divisional magistrates). Under the GNCTD Amendment Act, the transfer and posting of officials in Delhi are in the hands of the central government through the Lieutenant Governor. On October 28, 29 SDMs and ADMs were transferred, and later, officials were ordered to delete votes on a large scale.”
CM Atishi revealed, “In the past few days, several booth level officers (BLOs), including Asha workers, Anganwadi workers, and government school teachers, have contacted us and reported that they are being pressurised to delete votes on a large scale.”
She explained, “One DM, overseeing seven constituencies, has provided a list of 20,000 voters from each constituency to every Assistant Electoral Roll Officers (AERO). These names were reportedly gathered through a particular political party’s apparatus and sent to the central government. The government is pressuring officials to remove these names from the voter list.”
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said most INDIA bloc members are disheartened and demoralised by their continuous electoral defeats. So far, we have seen these parties questioning the EC’s impartiality and the reliability of EVMs after facing electoral losses. The AAP, fearing a loss in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections, has begun echoing similar rhetoric, which is regrettable.
Sachdeva further said that for years, first Congress and now AAP, have relied on fake voters and “burqa voters” to win in Delhi. However, after BJP’s victories in Haryana and other states, opposition parties are now questioning the electoral process.
Patriotism taught only in Delhi schools, says CM
Showcasing the education model of the city government, CM Atishi said on Tuesday that it was only in Delhi where a curriculum of patriotism is taught in government schools. The comments were made while she inaugurated an underground 24x7 shooting range for NCC cadets in Rohini.