News Delhi, July 14 (IANS) BJP leader Kirit Somaiya has written to Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam, alleging irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in the Bandra East Assembly constituency and claiming that voter mapping of residents from the demolished Garib Nagar settlement was carried out illegally.
In his letter, Somaiya on Tuesday raised concerns over the inclusion and mapping of voters from Garib Nagar, an unauthorised settlement located on railway land in Mumbai, despite its demolition by railway authorities with the assistance of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Mumbai Police.
The letter was addressed with the subject line: “SIR Maharashtra illegal mapping of Garib Nagar voters”, with reference to the “Bandra East Assembly constituency mapping by election officers”.
Somaiya alleged that during the first round of the SIR process, concerned block-level officials cleared the mapping of 1,296 voters out of 2,412 voters from Garib Nagar in Bandra East, despite being aware that the settlement had already been demolished.
In the letter, Somaiya stated, “We are shocked that the concerned block-level officials in the first round of SIR have cleared mapping of 1,296 voters out of 2,412 voters of Garib Nagar Bandra East.”
He further claimed that the demolition of the settlement had already been brought to the notice of the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) of Bandra East and the concerned Booth Level Officers (BLOs), but the officials allegedly ignored the information and proceeded with the mapping process.
“It may be please noted that Garib Nagar unauthorised encroachment on railway property has been demolished few weeks back by the railway officials with the help of Mumbai Municipal Corporation and Mumbai Police,” Somaiya said in the letter.
Questioning the continuation of the mapping process, he wrote, “When anybody everybody including the BLO and the ERO knows that Garib Nagar is demolished nobody staying there then also in the first round of SIR they completed the mapping work.”
Somaiya also alleged that instead of removing the names of voters linked to the demolished settlement, local officials conducted camps in the area and included the names of Garib Nagar voters in the mapping exercise.
“We had brought to the notice of block level officials, Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), that Garib Nagar settlement, which was illegal, unauthorised has been demolished few weeks back. Names of those voters should have been removed,” he stated.
Seeking action, the BJP leader urged the Election Commission of India to investigate the matter and take appropriate steps against officials responsible for what he described as illegal mapping.
“We request the Election Commission of India to take appropriate action against the officials,” Somaiya wrote in his letter.
The allegations come amid the ongoing SIR process in Maharashtra, where electoral authorities are undertaking verification and mapping-related exercises to update voter records.
–IANS
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