Multiple entries of voters removed, says Election Commission of India

Hyderabad: Clarifying allegations on removal of voters names based on the location of their nativity, caste, and surnames from the electoral lists of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the Election Commission of India submitted to the Telangana High Court that multiple entries of voters were removed by identifying them with the use of a de-duplication software.

The ECI informed the court that although the electoral list database among the states was not accessible to determine the migration of voters to other states by the use of the de-duplication software, it did not apply to the issue between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state as the database was maintained by the common Chief Election Officer.

The ECI has filed a counter before the court explaining the removal of voters’ names, the linking of Aaadhar numbers to the electoral database, and all the other allegations pertaining to the making of the electoral list, which were raised before the court in a PIL by a city-based engineer Kodali Srinivas.

After being directed by the court to file written explanations on the issues raised, the ECI’s deputy CEO M.Satyavani filed a counter-affidavit.