When a street vendor became a govt official
9 Feb 2015 5:24 AM IST
“I returned from Meerut in the morning just to cast my vote. But, when I reached at the polling booth, I was told that I cannot cast my vote as I’m a government employee,” said a visibly upset cloth vendor Ashfaq Ahmad in a polling booth in Karawal Nagar.
Ashfaq, 33, was very keen to cast his vote for the Delhi Assembly polls on Saturday. He travelled from Meerut to Delhi for the same but his excitement was short-lived as he was told by poll officials at the polling booth in Karawal Nagar Assembly segment, that his vote has already been cast through postal ballot — a facility for on-duty government officials.
“This is not happening for the first time that I have not been allowed to vote. Even during the last Assembly polls in 2013, I faced the similar problem,” Ashfaq told Millennium Post.
The incident is quite enough to explain the lackluster approach of Delhi Election Commission officials during the electoral roll preparation.
Millennium Post investigations also confirmed that Ashfaq’s vote was already exercised through postal ballot.
However, Delhi Election Commission officials present at the booth were not able to justify the “error”. It’s worth mentioning that Ashfaq was carrying all the required documents and proof which reflected that he is a resident of Chand Bagh area and sells clothes on streets.
When Millennium Post reached out to Assistant Electoral Roll Officer Rajeev Kumar said: “I’m not in a position to tell anything right now on this matter. Let me first verify the details of that voter (Ashfaq Ahmad) and if his claims are found true, the exercised vote would be cancelled.”
Dead voters figure in electoral rolls
In a shocking incident, it has come to light that names of voters, who are dead are figuring in electoral rolls in Karwal Nagar Assembly segment despite several complaints made to the Delhi Election Commission in this regard by booth level officers after the 2013 Assembly polls. The BLOs were shocked to see the names of the people, who are no more in the voters list on Saturday. The BLOs had written to state election commission to delete the names of Ganga Saran, Anil Kumar, Salimmuddin and Sohan Lal from voters’ list as they are no more but no action was taken to correct the list.
Ashfaq, 33, was very keen to cast his vote for the Delhi Assembly polls on Saturday. He travelled from Meerut to Delhi for the same but his excitement was short-lived as he was told by poll officials at the polling booth in Karawal Nagar Assembly segment, that his vote has already been cast through postal ballot — a facility for on-duty government officials.
“This is not happening for the first time that I have not been allowed to vote. Even during the last Assembly polls in 2013, I faced the similar problem,” Ashfaq told Millennium Post.
The incident is quite enough to explain the lackluster approach of Delhi Election Commission officials during the electoral roll preparation.
Millennium Post investigations also confirmed that Ashfaq’s vote was already exercised through postal ballot.
However, Delhi Election Commission officials present at the booth were not able to justify the “error”. It’s worth mentioning that Ashfaq was carrying all the required documents and proof which reflected that he is a resident of Chand Bagh area and sells clothes on streets.
When Millennium Post reached out to Assistant Electoral Roll Officer Rajeev Kumar said: “I’m not in a position to tell anything right now on this matter. Let me first verify the details of that voter (Ashfaq Ahmad) and if his claims are found true, the exercised vote would be cancelled.”
Dead voters figure in electoral rolls
In a shocking incident, it has come to light that names of voters, who are dead are figuring in electoral rolls in Karwal Nagar Assembly segment despite several complaints made to the Delhi Election Commission in this regard by booth level officers after the 2013 Assembly polls. The BLOs were shocked to see the names of the people, who are no more in the voters list on Saturday. The BLOs had written to state election commission to delete the names of Ganga Saran, Anil Kumar, Salimmuddin and Sohan Lal from voters’ list as they are no more but no action was taken to correct the list.
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