TDP, YSRCP approach Election Commission over bogus e-roll entries; blame each other

The ruling YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh and the opposition TDP on Monday approached the Election Commission, urging it to weed out bogus entries from the state's electoral rolls and accusing each other of vitiating the voters' list. TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu accused the YSR Congress of "subverting electoral practices" and urged the poll panel to visit the state to probe the charges.

Naidu, who met the poll panel here, handed over a memorandum urging it to ensure that all eligible voters are included in the voters' list and the names of deceased electors and "fake" entries are weeded out.

He also demanded a probe into alleged "transfer" of voters' data and Aadhaar numbers to private agencies.


He urged the EC to ensure that teachers and other department staff are drafted for electoral works instead of gram/ward sachivalayam staff who have little exposure to handle poll-related work.

The former state chief minister also demanded the setting up of a committee with experts with forensic skills to regularly monitor, assess and take remedial steps.

He also alleged that cases were being filed against political rivals to prevent them from contesting polls.

Later, talking to reporters, Naidu pushed for the use of technology, including Aadhaar identification, to weed out fake and duplicate entries from the electoral rolls of the state.

He said while the state chief electoral officer was doing his duty, the state government was not cooperating with the election machinery.

Later, Venumbaka Vijayasai Reddy, senior YSR Congress leader met the poll panel here.

He claimed the TDP leader is making "unwarranted and false" allegations which will not stand.

"We requested the Election Commission to take all the necessary steps to remove bogus entries, photo-similar and demographically similar entries from the (voters') list.

"We have made a presentation on how bogus entries have been incorporated and added to the voters' list between 2014 and 2018 during Chandrababu's period and how the deletions, particularly the sympathisers of YSR Congress Party during Chandrababu's regime at that point of time," he told reporters.