The BJP and the Congress on Sunday alleged conspiracy with regard to the voters' list for the first Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections after some names went missing from the list. This is the first MCD poll since the delimitation exercise, which saw the merger of three corporations South, North and East and a reduction in the number of wards from 272 to 250.
Immediately after the voting began, Delhi Congress chief and ex-MLA Anil Chaudhary claimed that his name was missing from the voters' list. He said his name was "neither in the voter list nor in the deleted list."
"My wife has voted. Officials are checking it," said Chaudhary who arrived at a polling booth in Dallupura to cast his vote.
He alleged that he had been "receiving calls from all over Delhi about missing names." The Congress president said lakhs of names were missing while blaming BJP for the conspiracy.
"The BJP can't win so it is trying to delay its defeat. It did the same by delimiting wards and is doing it now by removing names from the voters' list," he told NDTV.
He added that he was told by the Election Commission that his name was shifted from the list in 2021. "They have not told me where my vote has been shifted to. I have voted in the Lok Sabha elections and I voted in the 2020 Delhi assembly elections," he told the news channel.
Meanwhile, BJP state chief Manoj Tiwari alleged that the names of 450 voters are missing from the list in the Subash Mohalla ward. Calling for repolling in the ward, Tiwari said their names have been removed from the list because they support BJP.
"This is a big conspiracy by the Delhi govt, will complain against this and appeal for cancellation of this polls and re-election," Tiwari told reporters at the Yamuna Vihar polling booth.
Poll per cent
A nine per cent voter turnout was recorded till 10.30 am in the high-stakes civic election in Delhi which is largely been seen as a three-way contest among the AAP, BJP and Congress.
There are 1,349 candidates in the fray and over 1.45 crore electors are eligible to exercise their franchise in the elections to the 250 wards of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the results of which have the potential of having ramifications beyond the national capital.
Polling began at 8 am and will continue till 5:30 pm. Votes will be counted on December 7.
(With inputs from agencies)
