Questioning the timing of the Election Commission’s move to purify the electoral rolls in Tamil Nadu, DMK President Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi on Jun 12 sought to know why such an exercise is being undertaken after elections to the Tamil Nadu Assembly are over which was akin to shutting the stable after the horse bolted.
In a statement, Kalaignar referred to the order of the CEC to Chief Election Officer, Tamil Nadu to undertake purification of the electoral rolls, by removing the names of the dead, repetition of the same name to be deleted and door to door checking of absent, shift and dead. These instructions, Kalaignar said reminded the saying ‘shutting the stable after the horse bolted’. What was the use in this purification of rolls after the completion of general elections, he asked.
Kalaignar said he and his party, DMK, have been crying hoarse for the past one year about bogus voters in the electoral rolls but the Election Commission never took it seriously. He issued a lengthy statement on Jan 23, 2016 citing a report in ‘The Times of India’ on Jan 21 under the caption “Tamil Nadu has 1cr more voters in 2016, sees 22% jump in 4 years”. Kalaignar on Jan 23 alleged big fraud in the increase in the number of voters between 2011 and 2015 in Tamil Nadu electoral rolls. He urged the Election Commission to intervene and delete the names of bogus voters to ensure free and fair elections this year.
In a statement, Kalaignar quoted a report in ‘The Times of India’ on January 21 under the heading ‘State has 1cr more voters in 2016, sees 22% jump in 4 yrs’ according to which: “One crore more people have registered to vote in Tamil Nadu since the last Assembly elections. In a State where the population growth rate is declining, first time voters number only 6 lakh in the 2016 polls -not enough to explain the 1 crore increase. In 2011, the voting population was just about 71% of the total State population. This year, four out of every five persons in TN are voters”.
Of the total population of 7.77 crore in TN, according to the final electoral rolls released on Jan 20, the number of voters was 5.79 crore, i.e., 75.56 percent. These figures are unbelievable. According to 2011 census, those under 14 years constituted 23.4 percent of the population. Those in the age group of 15-18 years were 6 percent. Hence those who could not be enrolled constituted 23.4+ 6= 29.4 percent. Only the rest of 70.40 percent in the population should have been the voters. But it is surprising and a big fraud that 75.56 percent have been included as voters in the present electoral rolls. 5.16 percent who could not be included in electoral rolls, that if bogus voters, have been included as voters. Of the total population of 7.77 crore of TN about 40 lakh have been included as bogus voters.
“There is doubt about the numbers in the electoral rolls when compared with the figures of the Census.TOI report says there is an increase of 22% in the number of voters in the last five years but it is unbelievable that so many voters were enrolled since 2011 as there were not many migrants who have settled in Tamil Nadu,” said Kalaignar. An estimated 40 lakh bogus voters are there, he said.
According to the details given by ‘Indian Express’ daily, the Election Commission has estimated that the number of voters of over 18 years of age would be 71.16 percent of the population. Even by that estimate 4 percent more have been included as voters than the estimate of the EC. By this calculation the number of bogus voters is 31 lakhs.
Generally there will be increase of 10-12 percent of voters between two elections. But according to the final electoral roll released now, the increase is 22 percent. Kalaignar said though migration was cited as the main reason for increase in number of voters, there has been no appreciable construction work in the State for migrants to settle in Tamil Nadu.
“We have every now and then complained to the Election Commission about inclusion of bogus voters in the electoral rolls at the instance of the ADMK. It should have been stopped at the start. But, due to officials’ laxity, it has reached bigger proportions and is reflected in the final electoral rolls,” said Kalaignar.
If the Assembly elections need to be held in a free and fair manner, the Election Commission must intervene and delete the names of bogus voters, he said.
Again in a statement on 9.2.2016, he said in a meeting convened by Chennai district election officer recently, it was informed that 1.85 lakh bogus voters were removed from the list. In Chennai alone, names of 1.1 lakh dead people were included in the voters list earlier.
In Mylapore Assembly segment, 16,798 bogus voters were detected and in Virugambakkam 17,831bogus voters were found. The list includes 14,830 bogus voters in Anna Nagar, 13,823 in T Nagar and 13,323 in Perambur If a similar weeding exercise was carried out in other districts as well, it would ex pose the malpractices involved in the preparation of the voters’ list, he said.
With just two months left for the election, the EC needed to carry out the cleaning exercise on a war-footing, he said, adding that without this free and fair election cannot be ensured.
“In my constituency of Tiruvarur, we told the EC that there are around 11,000 bogus voters, 19,723 in Avadi, 5,598 in Kolathur, 13,404 I Tiruporur, 20,199 in Palacode, 10,768 in Vanur, 11,592 in Vikaravandi, 21,247 in Kallakurichi, 23,270 in Avinashi, 24,286 in Tirupur (north), 12,024 in Tirupur (south), 28,805 in Udamalpet, 21,231 in Kunnam, 22,227 in Sholaingar, 25,105 in Perambalur, 23,956 in Kangeyam and 20098 in Kalasapakkam; but the EC never took us seriously. Only based on the electoral rolls which would be purified now, the EC had conducted the 2016 Assembly elections and also the 2014 election,” he said in his statement.
After the elections, the EC now comes out with an announcement on purification of electoral rolls. “Who will take responsibility for the Himalayan mistake committed by the EC during the last two polls?” he asked.
In a statement, Kalaignar referred to the order of the CEC to Chief Election Officer, Tamil Nadu to undertake purification of the electoral rolls, by removing the names of the dead, repetition of the same name to be deleted and door to door checking of absent, shift and dead. These instructions, Kalaignar said reminded the saying ‘shutting the stable after the horse bolted’. What was the use in this purification of rolls after the completion of general elections, he asked.
Kalaignar said he and his party, DMK, have been crying hoarse for the past one year about bogus voters in the electoral rolls but the Election Commission never took it seriously. He issued a lengthy statement on Jan 23, 2016 citing a report in ‘The Times of India’ on Jan 21 under the caption “Tamil Nadu has 1cr more voters in 2016, sees 22% jump in 4 years”. Kalaignar on Jan 23 alleged big fraud in the increase in the number of voters between 2011 and 2015 in Tamil Nadu electoral rolls. He urged the Election Commission to intervene and delete the names of bogus voters to ensure free and fair elections this year.
In a statement, Kalaignar quoted a report in ‘The Times of India’ on January 21 under the heading ‘State has 1cr more voters in 2016, sees 22% jump in 4 yrs’ according to which: “One crore more people have registered to vote in Tamil Nadu since the last Assembly elections. In a State where the population growth rate is declining, first time voters number only 6 lakh in the 2016 polls -not enough to explain the 1 crore increase. In 2011, the voting population was just about 71% of the total State population. This year, four out of every five persons in TN are voters”.
Of the total population of 7.77 crore in TN, according to the final electoral rolls released on Jan 20, the number of voters was 5.79 crore, i.e., 75.56 percent. These figures are unbelievable. According to 2011 census, those under 14 years constituted 23.4 percent of the population. Those in the age group of 15-18 years were 6 percent. Hence those who could not be enrolled constituted 23.4+ 6= 29.4 percent. Only the rest of 70.40 percent in the population should have been the voters. But it is surprising and a big fraud that 75.56 percent have been included as voters in the present electoral rolls. 5.16 percent who could not be included in electoral rolls, that if bogus voters, have been included as voters. Of the total population of 7.77 crore of TN about 40 lakh have been included as bogus voters.
“There is doubt about the numbers in the electoral rolls when compared with the figures of the Census.TOI report says there is an increase of 22% in the number of voters in the last five years but it is unbelievable that so many voters were enrolled since 2011 as there were not many migrants who have settled in Tamil Nadu,” said Kalaignar. An estimated 40 lakh bogus voters are there, he said.
According to the details given by ‘Indian Express’ daily, the Election Commission has estimated that the number of voters of over 18 years of age would be 71.16 percent of the population. Even by that estimate 4 percent more have been included as voters than the estimate of the EC. By this calculation the number of bogus voters is 31 lakhs.
Generally there will be increase of 10-12 percent of voters between two elections. But according to the final electoral roll released now, the increase is 22 percent. Kalaignar said though migration was cited as the main reason for increase in number of voters, there has been no appreciable construction work in the State for migrants to settle in Tamil Nadu.
“We have every now and then complained to the Election Commission about inclusion of bogus voters in the electoral rolls at the instance of the ADMK. It should have been stopped at the start. But, due to officials’ laxity, it has reached bigger proportions and is reflected in the final electoral rolls,” said Kalaignar.
If the Assembly elections need to be held in a free and fair manner, the Election Commission must intervene and delete the names of bogus voters, he said.
Again in a statement on 9.2.2016, he said in a meeting convened by Chennai district election officer recently, it was informed that 1.85 lakh bogus voters were removed from the list. In Chennai alone, names of 1.1 lakh dead people were included in the voters list earlier.
In Mylapore Assembly segment, 16,798 bogus voters were detected and in Virugambakkam 17,831bogus voters were found. The list includes 14,830 bogus voters in Anna Nagar, 13,823 in T Nagar and 13,323 in Perambur If a similar weeding exercise was carried out in other districts as well, it would ex pose the malpractices involved in the preparation of the voters’ list, he said.
With just two months left for the election, the EC needed to carry out the cleaning exercise on a war-footing, he said, adding that without this free and fair election cannot be ensured.
“In my constituency of Tiruvarur, we told the EC that there are around 11,000 bogus voters, 19,723 in Avadi, 5,598 in Kolathur, 13,404 I Tiruporur, 20,199 in Palacode, 10,768 in Vanur, 11,592 in Vikaravandi, 21,247 in Kallakurichi, 23,270 in Avinashi, 24,286 in Tirupur (north), 12,024 in Tirupur (south), 28,805 in Udamalpet, 21,231 in Kunnam, 22,227 in Sholaingar, 25,105 in Perambalur, 23,956 in Kangeyam and 20098 in Kalasapakkam; but the EC never took us seriously. Only based on the electoral rolls which would be purified now, the EC had conducted the 2016 Assembly elections and also the 2014 election,” he said in his statement.
After the elections, the EC now comes out with an announcement on purification of electoral rolls. “Who will take responsibility for the Himalayan mistake committed by the EC during the last two polls?” he asked.
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