Chhattisgarh deputy CM Vijay Sharma hits back at Congress over ‘vote theft’ allegations, cites bogus entries in voter list

mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalRAIPUR: Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister and home minister Vijay Sharma on Tuesday accused the opposition Congress of misleading people with its “Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod” campaign. Addressing to reporters in Raipur, Sharma said the opposition was spreading confusion by making baseless charges of electoral fraud.mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalCiting specific cases, the deputy CM alleged that during the 2023 assembly elections, irregular voter registrations were carried out in Kawardha constituency at the behest of senior Congress leader and former minister Mohd Akbar. mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalSharma pointed to the case of 75-year-old man with his name, who allegedly used form-6 to register as a voter in Kawardha despite being originally listed in Raipur (West) constituency. Sharma alleged, this man removed his Kawardha entry after the election and restored his name in Raipur (rural) via form-8 on Aug 17, 2024 and becomes a voter from the city.mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalSimilarly, Sharma named another voter, who, he claimed, filed a fresh voter registration in Kawardha using form-6 while showing a different address in his passport. mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normal“These are clear cases of manipulation, and such names have been added under Akbar’s influence, who represented Kawardha seat,” Sharma said.mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalHe argued that like past scams in liquor and mining, Congress had “invented a new way to commit voter fraud.” Sharma maintained that this was why a special intensive revision (SIR) of voter rolls was underway in the state. mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normal“Congress should not oppose the SIR. This is an election commission initiative to clean up the rolls. If they resist, it will only raise more suspicion against them,” Sharma warned.mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalHome minister said that cases of duplicate entries and multiple EPIC (electors photo identity card) numbers had surfaced. “Some individuals were listed in two assemblies, with two to three EPIC numbers. This is serious malpractice,” he alleged, adding that FIRs would be lodged and punitive action taken against those who provided false information to register.mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalCongress rejected the allegations. Condemning the claims raised by Sharma, former minister Mohd Akbar called the charges “baseless” and politically motivated.mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; text-align:justify;line-height:normalSharma alleged Congress supporters had misused this provision. He added that evidence had been collected, and the matter would also be pursued in court.