UP MLA ‘found’ casting vote in Uttarakhand,CEO seeks report

Every candidate for an Assembly election has to declare details of his registration as voter in his nomination papers.

Sinha decided to collect these details after Uttarakhand CEO Radha Raturi sent him a report that Singh is registered as a voter at Dak Bangla-Basgar polling station in Sitarganj Assembly constituency there. Singh had reportedly cast his vote in Sitarganj bypoll and the media had carried reports to this effect. Taking cognizance of the reports,Raturi inquired the matter and sent photocopies of news reports with her letter to Sinha.

“Uttarakhand CEO has sent a report that Barhanj MLA Prem Prakash Singh is registered as a voter in Uttarakhand. As he is a voter in UP too,information has been sought from Deoria DM about the current status of Singh’s name in electoral roll,” said Ramesh Chandra Rai,Deputy CEO of UP.

Under sections 17 and 18 of the Public Representatives Act 1950,nobody is allowed to be registered as voter at more than one place. While applying for inclusion of his or her name in the electoral roll,an applicant has to make a declaration in the application form that he or she is not voter any other place. For making a wrong declaration,a person could face imprisonment of one year or penalty or both.

When contacted,Singh denied having cast vote in Sitarganj. “After my ticket was cleared in UP,I had given an application in Udamsingh Nagar district election office to delete my name from the electoral roll there. I then applied for inclusion of my name in the electoral rolls in Deoria,” Singh said,adding that Udamsingh Nagar administration probably did not delete his name. Singh said a polling station in Sitarganj was adjacent to the boundary wall of his farmhouse.