A BJP delegation led by Union Minister and senior leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday met Chief Election Commissioner and demanded deployment of Central forces to ensure “free and fair elections” in West Bengal and Kerala and registered complained of “serious discrepancy” in voters list in the latter State.
The BJP delegation said deployment of Central security forces and special observers is needed in both the States during election process so that people can participate in the voting process “fearlessly and fear-free elections are ensured.”
The Election Commission assured the BJP leaders of” positive action” on their demands . The Commission assured that scrutiny of voters’ list will be held at booth-level in Kerala. The Commission also assured of fair and fear-free elections in West Bengal, said the BJP leaders.
Besides Naqvi, BJP National General Secretary Shri Arun Singh, National Secretary Shrikant Sharma and Spokespersons Shri Sudhanshu Trivedi and Nalin Kohli were part of the delegation.
The BJP delegation said that discrepancies on a large scale have been found in voters’ list published for 2016 in Kerala.
“Population of Kerala is 3,34,06,061 according to 2011 census, but 2,56,27,620 voters have been shown in the voters list which is impossible because people under 18 years of age had also been included in the census. Besides this, about 23.63 lakh Non-Resident Keralites have not included in the voters list”, said the BJP leaders and demanded that these mistakes be corrected immediately and on-line voters’ registration should continue.
Fearing that some political parties might “indulge in violence” to disturb election process in Kerala, the delegation maintained communal and violent incidents have also been taking place in various parts of West Bengal continuously with “hundreds of BJP workers killed”.