Chandigarh, May 16 (IANS) Amid growing concerns over manipulation of electoral rolls in several states, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) would not allow even a single genuine vote to be deleted under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

Warning against any attempt to engineer “fake votes” in favour of a particular political party, CM Mann said AAP leaders and workers would remain stationed alongside booth-level officers (BLOs) at every polling booth across the state to monitor the exercise and prevent any irregularity.

Referring to complaints from other states regarding deletion of lakhs of genuine votes and irregularities in the verification process, the Chief Minister said the people would not permit such practices in the state and urged the Election Commission (EC) to carry out the entire SIR exercise with complete honesty, transparency and impartiality while ensuring that public objections are resolved without delay.

Interacting with the media, CM Mann said, “The Special Intensive Revision of voter lists must be conducted with complete transparency, honesty, fairness and accountability so that every genuine voter can exercise their democratic right without fear or obstruction.”

“Representatives of all political parties will remain actively involved throughout the process to ensure that no irregularities take place anywhere in Punjab.”

The Chief Minister noted the concerns raised in several states regarding the deletion of genuine votes and the inclusion of fake entries, which have created anxiety among citizens, making it imperative for the Election Commission to act with utmost responsibility and neutrality.

He said complaints have surfaced from different states about lakhs of genuine votes being deleted and manipulation in the verification process, but the people of Punjab will not allow such practices to happen in the state.

“Democracy cannot survive if people begin to lose trust in the sanctity of electoral rolls and constitutional institutions responsible for conducting elections,” asserted CM Mann.

“The Election Commission must ensure that every eligible voter is protected and every complaint raised by political parties is addressed honestly, transparently and without delay,” he added.

–IANS

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