Dimapur, March 7 (MExN): Former Finance Minister K Therie and his wife have on their electoral details the photographs of some unknown persons while their daughter’s photograph is used as the wife of another person in the electoral roll. These are some of the instances the Congress leader cited to hit back at the Chief Electoral Officer of Nagaland over the issue of erroneous and faulty electoral roll listings. There are more: A village of 1,663 according to Census, now has more than 2800 voters while another village listed as 2250 according to biometric data, has nearly 6000 voters.
Therie issued a statement today saying that the intention is not to condemn or confront but to produce genuine Photo Electoral Roll. “I have made sincere suggestions to Election department to give fair chance to booth level officers and enumerators. I have also suggested to Christian voters and political parties to participate in cleaning the Electoral Roll,” the Congress leader said in his statement.
He cited ‘prima facie’ evidences of the anomalies: “In the correct list of Pfutsero Town D/Wing, against my name and my wife’s name, some unknown photos were pasted. My daughter Ms. Neitele’s photo has been pasted against Mrs. Akole – husband’s name - Wekope under F/Wing of Pfutsero town.”
Further, Therie said, there are many misplaced photos such as ‘male photos’ have been placed against female names and vice versa. “The entire family members’ photos are wrong in Electoral Rolls of many polling stations. There are some family photos in five polling stations. Same person’s photo has been pasted against several names,” Therie stated.
The leader said voters in many polling stations would be reduced to less than 2/3 if one were to go by the biometric data that has been collected. “I will not like to name but a village of 1,663 according to census now has more than 2800 voters. Another village listed as 2250 according to biometric data, has nearly 6000 voters. Although biometric data has not been made effective now, sooner or later it will be made effective. We cannot ignore the figures just because it has not yet been made effective. Dishonesty has no place in the constitution,” he stated.
The Election department is reminded that it is responsible for delivering a ‘clean’ Electoral Roll. “Round figures cannot eye-wash the reality. If 61.9% is the percentage of voters, why has the department issued information to villages to restrict to 68%?”
Therie has appealed to the chief electoral officer to give the booth-level officers and enumerators “a chance” to recast photos against actual names with chest slates (on which, name and E/Roll is written).
“This will remove duplication if not taken in two or more polling stations. In the present photo electoral roll, chest numbers have been removed and photos misplaced which only speaks of manipulation,” Therie stated.
