Kohima, Oct 27 (PTI) The Congress on Tuesday alleged discrepancies involving 1,57,752 voter entries in Nagaland and accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of misusing institutions, weakening public-sector assets and pursuing policies that, it claimed, were undermining the country’s economic interests.
Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan here, AICC observers Pranav Shagotra and Banna Gupta, along with Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) president and Lok Sabha MP S Supongmeren Jamir, called for greater transparency in the electoral process and verification of voter records under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The AICC observers are in the state to examine voter-list discrepancies as part of the Congress’s nationwide exercise.
Jamir said the state had 13,57,208 voters, while records available with the Election Department accounted for 11,99,456, leaving a difference of 1,57,752.
He said the difference had been attributed to several categories, including untraceable voters, permanent migration, deceased voters, duplicate or already-enrolled entries and other reasons. The department was conducting further verification, including house-to-house visits, to determine whether the entries had been removed on valid grounds, he added.
Citing figures presented by the party, Shagotra said 7,900 voter entries in Mokokchung, 11,513 in Zunheboto, 6,547 in Kiphire, 3,325 in Longleng and 9,032 in Tuensang had been categorised as untraceable or deleted.
He alleged that discrepancies in electoral rolls across the country could affect election outcomes, particularly in smaller states where victory margins were often narrow.
He also accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of failing to ensure transparency, alleging that electronic voter lists had initially not been provided despite requests from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. He said access to digital records would facilitate the identification of duplicate entries and deleted names.
The Congress had deployed observers across districts to compare available records and establish the reasons for the discrepancies, he said, adding that the party would submit its findings to the AICC.
Gupta called for Kumar’s removal and alleged that central agencies, including the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate, were being used for political purposes.
On the SIR exercise, Gupta said voter verification was necessary to remove duplicate entries and update records of deceased or permanently shifted voters, but alleged that the process risked excluding eligible voters in some parts of the country.
NPCC working president Khriedi Theunuo urged eligible voters to ensure their names were included in the electoral rolls. Referring to an Election Office communication issued on October 12, he said the authorities had stated that no eligible voter should be left out. PTI NBS NBS RG
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