Nayagarh: Resentment is brewing among voters over alleged discrepancy in draft voters list for the urban local body (ULB) elections. Residents of Nayagarh Municipality limits expressed resentment Friday that the names of several rural voters had been intentionally included in the recently released draft list for the urban polls.
As many as 868 new names have been added to the draft list. Meanwhile, around 2,000 names have been shown both in Nayagarh civic limits as well as in rural areas, the Urban Local Body (ULB) voters alleged.
“Such voters have already exercised their rights to franchise during the recently concluded three-tier rural elections. If their names will not be removed from ULB voter list, there is a very high possibility that, they will again cast votes in elections to Nayagarh Municipality,” the locals said.
Due to similar errors in the previous final list of voters, a number of rural residents have been voting from both urban and rural areas for the past three years. Despite bringing it to the knowledge of Nayagarh Collector and Sub-Collector repeatedly, the senior officials have not taken any step against this issue, the ULB residents added.
“This has raised questions on the transparency of the civic body,” they said.
The urban residents also warned that they would resort to agitation if a revised and flawless list was not published soon.
Also read: State Election Commission announces dates for ULB polls in Odisha; details here
As per the list released January 5, 2022, many rural voters like Rihani Biwi, Niruddin Khan and Kamaruddin Khan from Sindhuria area, Chhayarani Dalabehera and Ashok Dalabehera from Kendudhipi and Rajat Pattnayak from Ikiri and many others belonging to the rural areas under Nayagarh block have been added to the draft list for ULB polls, some bonafide voters of the civic body rued.
In 16 booths (from No-92 to No-77) under the Nayagarh Assembly constituency segment, there are as many as 17,359 voters.
Besides, more than 300 bonafide voters from 200 families of ward No-11 under Nayagarh Municipality limits, who regularly pay their holding taxes, have been eliminated in the draft list.
“Whether their names have been intentionally removed from the voter list or left out by mistake?” the ULB residents questioned.
PNN
