Pilibhit Electoral Roll Accuracy Questioned Amid Allegations of Large-Scale Manipulation

Lucknow: Serious questions have been raised over the accuracy of electoral rolls in Pilibhit after a preliminary Congress probe allegedly found different voter names and fathers’ names recorded against the same Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number in the Pilibhit Sadar Assembly constituency following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The controversy comes amid administrative action against two sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs), Mayank Goswami of Puranpur and Hemant Chaudhary of Amaria, who have been attached to the district headquarters following a preliminary inquiry. However, the administration has not officially confirmed whether the action against the two officers is directly linked to the alleged discrepancies in the electoral rolls. According to Congress spokesperson and advocate Hemant Mishra, the party conducted a sample verification of the electoral roll in the Sadar constituency and found instances in which the same EPIC number was associated with different voter names and fathers’ names. The exact nature of the discrepancies, the stage at which they occurred and those responsible for them will be established only after the inquiry is completed. The Uttar Pradesh Congress has alleged large-scale manipulation of electoral records in Pilibhit. At a press conference at the party’s state headquarters on Wednesday, senior leaders claimed that the details of 13,150 voters in Pilibhit Sadar were changed after the final draft of the electoral roll was published. State in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam said the final draft of the SIR electoral roll in Uttar Pradesh was published on April 10. Voters were expected to be able to verify their names, addresses, EPIC numbers and serial numbers in the published list. However, the Congress alleged that between July and September, the names of 13,150 voters in Assembly constituency 127, Pilibhit Sadar, were changed even though their EPIC and serial numbers remained the same. The party claimed that such changes could go unnoticed by voters who believed their details had remained unchanged. The Congress further alleged that the names of 884 voters who continued to reside in the constituency were deleted despite their submitting applications stating that they still lived there. It also claimed that 2,600 voters were added to the list even though they did not reside at the addresses concerned. The party has claimed that the discrepancies involved a total of 16,554 voter records in the constituency. It said it would seek legal advice and approach the court over the alleged irregularities. District Magistrate Alok Kumar said the two SDMs had been attached to the district headquarters on the basis of a preliminary inquiry. The investigation is continuing, and the process of revising the electoral roll will be carried out in accordance with the rules. Goswami was posted as SDM of Amaria tehsil, which falls under the Pilibhit Sadar Assembly constituency, during the SIR exercise. Chaudhary was serving as SDM of Amaria at the time of the administrative action. Their roles, if any, in the alleged discrepancies have not been officially established. Further action may follow depending on the findings of the inquiry. Meanwhile, the Congress has begun examining electoral rolls in other Assembly constituencies in Pilibhit district to determine whether similar discrepancies exist elsewhere. The investigation will have to establish whether the cases involving identical EPIC numbers resulted from data-entry errors, procedural lapses or other irregularities. The findings are likely to be crucial in determining the extent of the alleged discrepancies and whether responsibility needs to be fixed at any level.