By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
Muzaffarpur: Hundreds of Muslims are out on the street here in Muzaffarpur town as their names have been deleted from the voter lists. Worst affected are Muslim-dominated mohallas including Sadpura and Chandwara. People have their genuine election Photo ID, their names are also on the list but they are just crossed.
The community is angry and thinks the deletion is a conspiracy to stop them from voting in favor of their choice of candidate. RJD-LJP joint candidate Mohd Jamal is giving a tough fight to BJP candidate Suresh Sharma. Muslims are about 19% in the town constituency.
At several booths in Sadpura mohalla, names of family after family were deleted while the voters had valid election photo ID.
Haji Shaukat Ali is 66-year-old resident of Sadpura locality. He was in the queue for more than one hour. When his turn came he was told his name is in the list of dead persons. Ali is not alone. There are in fact thousands of people whose names are missing from the lists.
The locals are demanding cancellation of polling in the entire constituency or at least in the affected areas.
While the people have approached election officers there is no word from them on the fate of poll in these areas.
Film writer Hasnain Arij has harshly condemned the lapses on the part of administration. “The deletion of names of weaker and downtrodden sections is grave social injustice. For this all people from ward councillors to election commissioners are responsible for this grave mistake. This is the massive killing of human rights.”