13,061 wrongfully deleted voters added back to rolls: CEO Mukesh Kumar Meena

 Vijayawada: State chief electoral officer (CEO), Mukesh Kumar Meena, on Saturday clarified that 13,061 voters were wrongfully deleted and after re-verification were added back in the rolls.

The CEO was responding to the AP BJP's allegations that 21 lakh voters had been deleted from the lists from January 1, 2022 to August 30, 2023.

Following allegations that a large number of voters were deleted under pressure from the ruling party, all district election officers were asked to make field verifications by checking documents, Meena said, replying to AP BJP president D. Purandeswari's complaint to the CEO's office.

Meena said only 13,061 deletions of voters were incorrect and that they were subsequently added back.

With regard to a complaint by BJP vice president P. Vishnu Kumar Raju that 61,431 voters, who were either dead or names were duplicated or shifted in the electoral rolls, were added in 23-Visakhapatnam North Assembly constituency, the CEO's office said an inquiry had been ordered by the Visakhapatnam district election officer.

The inquiry found out that 13,378 voters were found to be dead/duplicate/shifted and they were deleted from the electoral rolls in the special summary revision-2024 by the district election officer, Meena said.

The CEO's office also said the district election officer of Tirupati had ordered an inquiry into allegations that thousands of fake voters were given EPICs (voter ID cards) in 23-Tirupati Lok Sabha Constituency in 2021. A criminal case was also registered on January 7, 2024 in Tirupati East Police Station in the matter.