By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 6 Feb: ‘Social activist’ Anoop Nautiyal, while alleging gross mismanagement and disorder in the recently held Uttarakhand municipal elections, has termed these irregularities as extremely concerning for democracy. He has sent a detailed four-page letter to the President, along with 15 media reports, highlighting various irregularities that occurred during the elections.
In his letter, Anoop Nautiyal has urged the President to intervene and order an inquiry into the election irregularities 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, Anoop 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.
Anoop 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 He also pointed out that the website of the State Election Commission was outdated and in poor condition, calling it a failure of the Uttarakhand State Election Commission.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 emphasised that, while the Central Election Commission advocates for transparent elections based on solid facts, this is not being followed in Uttarakhand.
Anoop Nautiyal has requested the President to order an inquiry into the irregularities such as errors, duplications, incorrect names, and alleged fraud in the municipal elections. He emphasised 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.
He demanded that 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.
It is worth noting that, on 23 January, after the ‘large scale discrepancies’ in the voter lists became apparent on election day, Anoop Nautiyal had raised strong objections. He had issued a video requesting the High Court’s intervention and the suspension of the election results.
