Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi accompanied by a BJP delegation speaking to reporters outside the Election Commission in New Delhi. (Press Trust of India photo)
A BJP delegation today met Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi and election commissioners in New Delhi and demanded that fair and fear-free polls be ensured in Kerala and West Bengal by deploying adequate security forces.
"Discrepancies on a large scale have been found in voters lists published for 2016 in Kerala. For example, the population of Kerala is 3,34,06,061 according to the 2011 census, but 2,56,27,620 voters have been shown in the voters' list, which is impossible because people under 18 years of age were also included in the census," said Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, who led the delegation.
"Besides this, about 23.63 lakh non-resident Keralites have not been included in the voters' lists. The BJP demands that these mistakes be corrected immediately and online voters registration should continue," he added.
BJP general secretary Arun Singh, secretary Shrikant Sharma, spokespersons Sudhanshu Trivedi and Nalin Kohli were part of the delegation.
The BJP delegation said it suspected that some political parties might indulge in violence and chaos to disturb the election process in West Bengal.
"Communal and violent incidents have been taking place in various parts of West Bengal continuously. Hundreds of BJP workers have been killed. Several administrative and police officials have been working like workers of the ruling party (Trinamool Congress)," the BJP leaders said.
"Some districts of West Bengal have become strongholds of anti-national and anarchist elements. The ruling party seems either a mute spectator to these elements or is saving them," the BJP said in a memorandum submitted to the poll panel chief.
The delegation urged the Election Commission that adequate deployment of central security forces and special observers was needed in West Bengal and Kerala during the election process so that people can participate fearlessly.
Elections to the state assemblies of West Bengal and Kerala are due to be held soon.