Last Updated:
The DMs of Jaunpur, Kasganj, and Barabanki issued clarifications on social media platform X, rejecting the charges of wrongful voter deletions
On August 17, Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the Election Commission had denied receiving affidavits filed by the SP, despite the party having attached 18,000 documents related to voter list manipulation. File pic/PTI
The ongoing “vote theft row” in Uttar Pradesh took a new turn this week after three district magistrates (DMs) publicly countered Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav’s allegations of large-scale anomalies in the 2022 assembly election voter list. The DMs of Jaunpur, Kasganj, and Barabanki issued clarifications on social media platform X, rejecting the charges of wrongful voter deletions.
Their response came days after Akhilesh accused the Election Commission (EC) of concealing facts and shared digital receipts, which he claimed proved the SP had submitted 18,000 affidavits flagging voter list irregularities.
On August 17, Akhilesh Yadav alleged that the Election Commission had denied receiving affidavits filed by the SP, despite the party having attached 18,000 documents related to voter list manipulation. The former chief minister released screenshots of digital receipts, which he said were issued by the commission as proof. “The Election Commission, which claims not to have received our affidavits, should look at the receipts issued by its own office. This time we demand the commission file an affidavit confirming these receipts are genuine, otherwise both the EC and ‘Digital India’ will come under suspicion,” Yadav posted on X. He also demanded that the poll panel itself furnish an affidavit in court to substantiate its stand, warning that the credibility of India’s electoral process was at stake.
However, the matter escalated further when three DMs, directly quoting Yadav’s social media post, offered clarifications on the complaints flagged in their districts. Kasganj DM Pranay Singh said a complaint about the deletion of eight voters in Amapur constituency was probed, and that seven of them were duplicate entries in the list and were removed as per rules. The eighth voter’s name, he explained, was deleted after his wife submitted Form-7 following his death. “Thus, the complaint is unfounded,” Singh wrote.
Jaunpur DM Dinesh Chandra responded to another allegation regarding five voters, stating that all of them had died before 2022. This, he said, was verified by family members, locals, and the concerned corporator, and therefore their names were lawfully removed. “The complaint is entirely baseless and misleading,” he added.
Barabanki DM Shashank Tripathi clarified that in Kursi constituency, names of two voters flagged as wrongly removed were in fact still present in the list, dismissing the complaint as without merit.
Unimpressed by the explanations, Akhilesh renewed his attack on both the EC and the district administrations. “The BJP government does not want to answer even one of the 18,000 affidavits we submitted. The Election Commission cannot escape by putting District Magistrates forward. DM sahab should show the death certificates they are citing. If there was no anomaly, why has it taken so many years to issue a clarification?” Yadav wrote. He argued that if the commission insists no affidavits were submitted, then the question arises as to why DMs are replying at all. “These superficial answers will not work. There must be a thorough investigation,” he said.
The row has also put the spotlight on the three bureaucrats who moved quickly to respond to the SP chief’s charges. Kasganj DM Pranay Singh, a 2015-batch IAS officer born in 1989 and originally from Ghaziabad, has served in various administrative roles, including assistant magistrate in Deoria, joint magistrate in Sultanpur, chief development officer in Saharanpur, and municipal commissioner of Varanasi before his current posting.
Jaunpur DM Dinesh Chandra, a 2012-batch IAS officer from Bijnor with a background in law, has earlier served as district magistrate of Kanpur Dehat, Bahraich, and Saharanpur, besides being municipal commissioner of Ghaziabad and special secretary in the culture department. He earned recognition for promoting Dhaincha farming in Jaunpur.
Barabanki DM Shashank Tripathi, a 2016-batch officer from Kanpur Dehat, studied at IIT-Kanpur before joining the civil services. Considered close to chief minister Yogi Adityanath, he has served as his special secretary in the CM’s office and earlier held responsibilities in Sitapur and Raebareli.
The exchange of posts has once again sharpened the debate on alleged voter list manipulation in Uttar Pradesh. While the DMs insist that deletions were lawful and carried out as per rules, Akhilesh Yadav maintains that the Election Commission is dodging accountability by “hiding behind” district officials.
Read More
