Akhilesh expresses faith in EC, seeks action against irregularities

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday expressed faith in the Election Commission of India (ECI) and urged it to take decisive and lawful action on the party's complaints regarding alleged largescale irregularities in the submission of Form-7 applications during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Referring to the memorandum submitted by the SP delegation to the chief electoral officer (CEO), Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh said the document symbolises the hope that citizens repose in constitutional institutions. "The memorandum handed over by our representatives is an expression of faith — the kind of hope that society has always placed in the honest conscience of those entrusted with responsibility," he said."There are instances when those in power allegedly pressure officials into acting improperly. It is not always that people act wrongly on their own," he said. Akhilesh cited the story of ‘Panch Parmeshwar' to underscore his belief in impartial justice. "The principle that justice ultimately prevails is something I continue to believe in," he said, adding that institutions should rise above political pressures.The SP chief maintained that the party had submitted detailed objections and what he described as concrete evidence highlighting "countless irregularities" in the filing of Form-7 applications, which are used for deletion of names from the electoral rolls. He expressed confidence that the Election Commission would take cognisance of these submissions and deliver a fair and reasoned decision.He also called for strict legal action against those found responsible for any fraudulent or unlawful activity, including the registration of FIRs. "If there was a crime, it must be addressed within the framework of law," he said.Emphasising the larger implications, the former UP CM said that democracy could be protected only when the Election Commission was vigilant about its "glorious legacy".He said it should be ensured that officers functioned with dignity, neutrality and transparency. "The credibility of the Commission and the sanctity of elections must be preserved," he added.SP MLAs allege deletion of PDA, Muslim votersLucknow: A delegation of SP MLAs submitted a detailed memorandum to Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Uttar Pradesh, Navdeep Rinwa alleging widespread misuse and forgery in the submission of Form-7 applications to delete voters' names from the electoral rolls.The party claimed that in several Assembly constituencies, including Sultanpur Sadar, Sikandarpur, Sarojininagar, Jaswantnagar (Etawah), Ayodhya, Pratapgarh, Farrukhabad, Mathura, Moradabad and Shamli, bulk Form-7 applications were submitted targeting PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) and Muslim voters.The memorandum alleged that in many booths, hundreds of forms were filed with identical formats and signatures, and that BLOs in some areas were facing pressure from BJP functionaries to accept such applications.The SP demanded that deletion proceedings be initiated only through authorised BLOs, daily disclosure of Form-7 data be ensured, and FIRs be registered under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, against those submitting false declarations.The CEO assured the delegation that the name of any eligible voter will not be deleted without door-to-door verification and due process. He also ordered an inquiry into complaints of bulk submissions.