Bhagat Singh photo in voter list claims are false: Punjab CEO
Punjab CEO Anandita Mitra clarifies that reports of Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh's photo in the final voter list are false and already rectified.
Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anandita Mitra has strongly refuted claims regarding the Ludhiana East constituency, asserting that reports alleging Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh's photograph was printed against an elector's entry in the final voter list are completely incorrect.
Addressing the media following the publication of the final electoral rolls for all 117 assembly constituencies, Mitra clarified that the alleged anomaly was an error from an earlier draft that had already been rectified during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Error was already rectified during revision
The CEO emphasized that the specific error mentioned in recent reports was not present in the current final list. She explained that the very purpose of the Special Intensive Revision was to identify and eliminate clerical errors, including mistakes in names, addresses, or photographs.
"This is completely incorrect news. Reports alleging that Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh Ji's photograph is printed against an elector in the final voter list are entirely false. I have shared the factual details along with photographs with the media," Mitra clarified. She further noted that the error was identified and corrected during the SIR process, making claims of its presence in the final list misleading.
Punjab voter list reaches 2.01 crore
The clarification comes alongside the official publication of Punjab's final electoral roll. Following the claims and objections phase, the total number of registered electors in the state has reached 2.01 crore. This follows the addition of approximately 7.97 lakh new voters.
The CEO provided a breakdown of the process:
- Draft Roll: Published on August 13 with approximately 1.94 crore registered voters.
- New Enrolments: Nearly 8 lakh additional electors were enrolled via Form 6 submissions.
- Final Roll: Stands at 2.01 crore registered electors.
Political parties express satisfaction
Mitra highlighted that the revision exercise was conducted with full transparency. During an all-party meeting held on Monday, representatives from all recognized political parties expressed their complete satisfaction with the process on record. These parties were involved at every stage, from verifying unmapped electors to cross-verifying deletions.
To ensure no eligible voter is left behind, the CEO announced that special camps will be organized across the state. The schedule for these camps will be shared with political parties, the media, and administrative machinery. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will be available on the spot to help citizens cross-check rolls and assist in submitting Form 6 for any missing names.