The Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are up in arms over the alleged discrepancies in the draft electoral rolls for the Kochi Corporation and the larger Ernakulam district published by the State Election Commission.
This, they alleged, was a concerted effort in connivance with officials to set the ground in favour of the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)]. The UDF’s Ernakulam MLA T.J. Vinod has petitioned the Chief Election Commissioner with copies to the District Collector and the Kochi Corporation secretary. He pointed out that hundreds of voters in many delimited wards had been erroneously included in the neighbouring wards and even in entirely different Assembly constituencies.
In one such instance, 600-odd voters from 200-odd households in the Perumanoor division in the Ernakulam Assembly constituency were found included in the Panampilly Nagar division in the Thrikkakara Assembly constituency, Mr. Vinod said. “The voters concerned are required to submit applications in Form 7 to resolve this mistake. It was practically difficult for 10,000-odd voters in the Ernakulam constituency alone to submit applications and then turn up for hearing in the short period allowed for the purpose. This amounted to violation of a citizen’s right to cast vote,” he said.
