PrashantNews
Social activist Anoop Nautiyal has sent a detailed four-page letter to President Droupadi Murmu along with 15 media reports, highlighting various alleged irregularities that occurred during the recent municipal elections in Uttarakhand.
Terming these alleged irregularities as extremely concerning for democracy, Nautiyal has urged the President to intervene and order an inquiry so that officials responsible for the negligence are held accountable and such situations do not arise in future elections in Uttarakhand. He also demanded the dismissal of the State Election Commissioner and Secretary if found guilty during the investigation.
In his letter, Nautiyal prominently pointed out 10 key issues regarding the “mismanagement” of the municipal elections. He stated that there were “major discrepancies” in the voter lists across the entire state, including Dehradun.
“Numerous names were missing from the voter lists, including those of families who had lived in the same house for generations. Many names were either incorrect or had been changed without prior notice. In some cases, names were shifted to other locations without informing the voters, causing confusion at the polling stations.
In some instances, even minors were found to be listed as voters, which raised concerns about possible voter fraud. Complaints were also made about votes being cast in some polling stations before the voter arrived, and the slow pace of the voting process, which was described as a serious issue,” Nautiyal pointed out.
Nautiyal expressed concern in his letter that the Election Commission did not take these complaints seriously enough. He also pointed out that the website of the State Election Commission was outdated and in poor condition, calling it a failure of the Uttarakhand State Election Commission.
In light of the upcoming three-tier Panchayat elections, he cautioned that if the situation remained the same, it would be impossible to conduct free and fair Panchayat elections in Uttarakhand. He suggested that preparations should begin immediately. He also emphasized that while the Central Election Commission advocates for transparent elections based on solid facts, this is not being followed in Uttarakhand.
Nautiyal has requested the President to order an inquiry into the alleged irregularities such as errors, duplications, incorrect names, and alleged fraud in the municipal elections. He emphasized that there should be an explanation as to why the voter lists were not properly updated, and why voters’ names were “missing” despite being registered in previous elections.
The inquiry should be completed within a one-month timeframe by an impartial committee, which should include not only government officials but also independent scholars, political activists, judiciary members, media personnel, NGOs, and civil society representatives. He expressed hope that the President would promptly order the formation of such a committee to investigate the irregularities in the election.
Nautiyal claimed that “large scale discrepancies” in the voter lists became apparent when the elections were held. He had released a video requesting the High Court’s intervention and the suspension of the election results also at that time.