Independent asks Telangana High Court to put off GHMC Elections

Asifnagar: The iIndependent candidate from Asifnagar on Sunday filed a writ in the High Court seeking postponement of election in Ward from where she is contesting, after she found that the voter list with discrepancies.

Speaking to The Hans India, Dr Lubna Sarwath alleged fraud in the vVoter list provided to her 'on payment.' On November 29, she also lodged a complaint with the State Election Commission. "I reject the fraudulent voter list given to me. I feel ashamed and indignity to contest elections, as there are duplicates, triplicates and quadruplicates in the list.

I reiterate my demand to give me a purified and authentic list by conducting a denovo process and fresh enumeration of voter list. The election should be postponed, fresh voter list should be prepared and prompt elections to Asifnagar be conducted as entailed in democratic process," she demanded. Earlier, the official response from TS Election Commission was that the Deputy Commissioners or Returning Officers were already instructed to prepare the polling station-wise list of absentee, shifted and duplicate/death (ASD) voters and will be supplied the same to the presiding officers concerned.

"You may also prepare such list and hand over to your polling agents so that they can keenly watch and challenge the voters trying to impersonate," wrote M Ashok Kumar, Secretary, responding to her on November 28. Zonal Commissioner (GHMC), Central Zone, asked her to submit a list of duplicates as identified in the voter list to the Returning Officer in writing. Lubna argued that it was the duty of SEC to ensure all necessary changes are made. "It was the duty of SEC to weed out the fraud from the voter list. But, instead, the officials are asking me hire polling agents in 61 polling booths," she said.