CEO on ‘removal’ of 700 Muslims from voting list: Electors could have raised objection any time

In response to the alleged deletion of names of 700 Muslim voters after their homes were razed in fishing harbours of Gandhvi and Navadra in Devbhumi Dwarka last year in March, Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer P Bharathi on Tuesday said the electors could have raised an objection.

“They could have raised an objection at any point of time. If their name is not on the list, they should have enrolled themselves at the new place where they relocated,” said Bharathi. He added the electors’ list was published twice — a draft once and the final list a second time.

Additional Chief Electoral Officer Kuldeep Arya said they have not received any official complaint in this regard and neither have the poll officials taken suo motu cognisance of the alleged issue.

“If they were proven as encroachers and they were removed with due process, it will not be possible for us to track them down. They were free to register themselves. Moreover, it is possible that few of them may have registered themselves at their new location,” he said.

Arya added that the deletions were made well before the polls owing to the demolitions.