New Delhi [India], January 9: A delegation from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, met with the Election Commission on Thursday to raise concerns about alleged irregularities in voter registrations and deletions in the New Delhi Legislative Assembly constituency ahead of the upcoming elections.
Kejriwal highlighted a significant spike in voter registrations, alleging that a “voter fraud” was occurring on a large scale. He pointed out that 5,500 new votes had been registered in just 22 days, from December 15 to January 7, representing a 5.5 percent increase in the total voter base of 100,000. He described the surge as unusual and indicative of possible irregularities.
“During this period, 5,500 new votes were registered, which is highly unusual. When officials investigated, they found that 18 of the 89 people who had requested to delete these 5,500 names denied making such requests, further suggesting large-scale electoral fraud,” Kejriwal said after the meeting with Election Commissioners.
Kejriwal also raised concerns about 13,000 new voter applications received in the same time frame, which he claimed might be linked to fraudulent practices. Additionally, he accused BJP candidate Parvesh Verma of distributing money, holding health camps, and announcing job fairs to influence voters, which he argued violated election rules.
“The Election Commission assured us that strict action will be taken against any corrupt practices, including the removal of local Election Registration Officers (EROs) if necessary,” Kejriwal added.
This meeting follows a letter sent by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi on January 5, urging immediate action over the alleged voter manipulation. On Wednesday, Atishi submitted another letter to the Chief Election Commissioner on the same matter.
The Delhi Assembly elections are scheduled for February 5, with results to be counted on February 8. In the 2020 elections, AAP secured 62 out of 70 seats, while BJP won only eight seats.