CPI(M) alleges Congress MLA registered as voter in two constituencies

Wayanad (Kerala), Sep 8 (PTI) A CPI(M) leader on Monday accused Congress legislator T Siddique of being registered as a voter in two constituencies, calling it a “serious violation of election law.” K Rafeeq, the CPI(M)’s district secretary, alleged that Siddique’s name appears in the voters’ list for the upcoming local body polls in both Panniyoorkkulam ward of Perumanna, Kozhikode, and Onivayal, Kalpetta.

The final voters’ list was published on September 2. The election date for the local body polls is yet to be announced.

Rafeeq said such duplication “undermines democracy” and demanded an explanation from the Kalpetta MLA.

“People’s representatives should act transparently. Siddique having votes in two places is illegal and condemnable,” Rafeeq told reporters here.

Siddique, however, rejected the charge, calling it “politically motivated.” He accused the CPI(M) of “echoing the BJP’s line” and insisted there was “no wrongdoing” on his part.

“This is only a technical issue. I had already applied to shift my vote from Perumanna to Kalpetta in accordance with the rules,” he said.

The MLA added that once a transfer request is made, “it is the responsibility of the electoral officer to remove the earlier entry.” “If my name is still listed in two places, it is the failure of the official, not me,” he claimed.

Similar controversies over duplicate registrations and bogus entries have surfaced in several states after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned “the accuracy of the electoral rolls.” At a Congress event last month, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha cited data collected from an assembly constituency in Karnataka, where the party checked photographs and names of electors physically and reportedly found that 1.5 lakh votes were “fake” out of a total of 6.5 lakh voters.

“The election system in India is dead,” he said, alleging that the “Lok Sabha elections were rigged.” PTI LGK SSK