Nagpur MLA Accuses Civic Administration of Voter Disenfranchisement
BJP MLA Krishna Khopde made serious allegations on Saturday regarding the recent Nagpur Municipal Corporation elections. He claimed that nearly 50,000 voters in East Nagpur could not exercise their franchise due to large-scale errors in voter lists. Khopde blamed the civic administration for what he described as a serious failure of the democratic process.
Voter Turnout Drops Sharply in Urban Area
Khopde stated that voter turnout dropped to around 50% in East Nagpur during the elections. This figure is sharply lower than in previous elections. "When polling falls to 50% in an urban area, it raises serious questions about the functioning of the administration," he said. The MLA pointed to confusion over polling booths, fragmented voter lists, and administrative lapses as primary reasons for the decline.
Voters Forced to Travel Long Distances Between Polling Stations
According to Khopde, voters faced significant difficulties in locating their correct polling booths. He alleged that voters were forced to travel long distances between polling stations located in different prabhags. Names appearing in the electoral roll were missing from booth-wise lists, creating widespread confusion.
"Members of the same family were assigned different polling booths," Khopde explained. "Despite having their names on the rolls, nearly 50,000 voters in East Nagpur could not vote." He added that many voters returned home after hours of searching for the correct booth, effectively disenfranchising them.
Administrative Reliance on ASHA Workers Questioned
The BJP MLA criticized the NMC administration for relying on ASHA workers to manage voter lists. He claimed the administration failed to properly verify and rationalize the voter lists before the elections. This failure resulted in widespread disenfranchisement across all 10 prabhags of East Nagpur.
Khopde's allegations highlight what he sees as systemic problems in election administration. The claims suggest that administrative shortcomings may have significantly impacted voter participation in the municipal elections. The situation raises concerns about electoral integrity in urban areas where such issues are less commonly reported.
