Same Name Appears 10 Times On Voter Roll. 5 UP Poll Officials Get Notices

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO)'s office has stated that notices have been issued to five election officials of the 347-Azamgarh Assembly constituency before initiating action against them under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, after the Samajwadi Party alleged that a voter's name appeared 10 times in the electoral roll, officials said on Saturday.

In a statement, the Chief Electoral Officer's office said the SP had alleged at a press conference on October 15 that the name of a person identified as Vikas Yadav was registered 10 times in the electoral roll of the constituency.

Taking cognisance of the allegation, the CEO's office sought a detailed investigation report from the District Election Officer, Azamgarh.

According to the report, 13 entries bearing the name Vikas Yadav in Hindi were found in the electoral roll of the 347-Azamgarh constituency. Two of these entries had already been deleted as per rules, the statement said.

The report also found that a voter with the same name and father's name belonged to the Chauri-Chaura Assembly constituency in Gorakhpur district and was different from the other entries.

The remaining 11 entries in Azamgarh pertained to 11 different individuals from the district, all of whom reside in their respective villages. Except for the actual Vikas Yadav, Form 8 applications have been submitted for the other 10 individuals to correct their names and other details, the statement said.

The CEO's office directed that notices be issued to the computer assistant at the registration centre, the Booth Level Officer (BLO), the then Election Registration Officer (ERO), and two Assistant EROs before initiating action under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

It also directed that charge sheets be issued to initiate departmental proceedings against the then ERO and two Assistant EROs for negligence in discharging their official duties and laxity in supervising the preparation of electoral rolls, the statement said.

The District Election Officer, Azamgarh, has been directed to conduct a detailed examination of the electoral rolls in all Assembly constituencies in the district and submit a report within a week, it added.

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