700 voters registered under one address in Udaipur; officials cite notional addressing
Representatives from Badgaon Panchayat alleged that in Rajasthan’s Gogunda Assembly Constituency 149, hundreds of names were registered under a single house
Udaipur: The Udaipur district administration has investigated a complaint of 700 voters listed against a single house in the electoral rolls in the Gogunda Assembly seat and found that these people were allotted a notional address in the district since they were living on structures built on government land, a senior district official said on Saturday.
This follows a public hearing on Saturday at the Collectorate Mini Auditorium, chaired by district collector Namita Mehta, where representatives from Badgaon Panchayat alleged that in Rajasthan’s Gogunda assembly constituency 149, hundreds of names were registered under a single house.
“During the public hearing, a complaint was received from the Panchayat Administrator of Badgaon and some others alleging that bogus names were registered in the voter list and that more than 700 voters were listed under a single house number. Considering the seriousness of the matter, immediate instructions were given to the electoral registration officer of Gogunda and the sub-divisional officer to conduct an inquiry,” Mehta told HT.
“The preliminary investigation has revealed that most of these people belong to economically weaker sections and have been living by constructing temporary or permanent houses on government land of the Udaipur development authority. Since they do not have any valid address, they were allotted notional numbers and registered in the voter list,” Mehta added.
Accusing large-scale irregularities in the voter lists of Gogunda Assembly Constituency 149, panchayat administrator Sanjay Sharma and panchayat samiti member Bhuvnesh Vyas have demanded physical verification by the administration, removal of fake voters, and strict action against the concerned Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
“In Bandinal area, Part No. 267, House No. 111, nearly 700 voters are listed, whereas in reality, no such large number of people reside there. Similarly, around 300 names have been added to House No. 82. This was the only reason that in the last Lok Sabha elections, only 33% voting was recorded in Badgaon, which was the lowest in the entire Udaipur district,” Vyas said.
Sharma said, “From Part No. 265 to 272, several fake names have been registered of individuals who have no connection with the area. We have also shared the issue with the administrative officers earlier at the time of the elections, but no action was taken. But this time a team led by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), including the BLOs, tehsildar, and revenue inspector, visited the area for field verification and collected the data.”
“In the recent elections, Part No. 267-K recorded only 37.15% voting, the lowest in the district. This indicates that due to fake entries, the actual voter base was reduced and the voting percentage was adversely affected,” Sharma added.
Mehta said that the inquiry has established that the allegation of fake voters being included is factually incorrect and misleading. “However, as a precautionary measure, a detailed investigation is still being carried out,” Mehta added.
Congress spokesperson Swarnim Chaturvedi said, “An immediate investigation is needed even in the electoral rolls in Rajasthan. In many places such as Udaipur, Amber — such fake voters have been found. BJP and ECI committed a large level fraud during the Lok Sabha election in Rajasthan. Congress is making teams to monitor the matter in every district.”
