By IANS
Bangalore : The responsibility of ensuring error-free voters’ list in Karnataka for the coming assembly polls will rest on political parties, Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami said Thursday.
“Political parties will have to take the responsibility of preparing an error-free voter list for a free and fair election. They will be given two separate electoral lists Feb 7 to verify the authenticity of voters’ names,” Gopalaswami told reporters here at the state secretariat.
“The parties will also be given two weeks to study the lists and file objections, if any. They can suggest to the state election commission if additions and deletions have to be made after verifying the names in the electoral rolls.”
In view of discrepancies galore in the electoral rolls prepared so far, the poll panel has decided to seek the help of the parties to ensure the final list, to be published by March 10, will be error-free.
“We have adopted a new mechanism for preparing the voter list. The parties should verify the list,” Gopalaswami noted.
The poll panel has directed the state chief electoral officer to bring out a fresh draft list by Feb 7, extending the earlier deadline of Jan 20.
“We have directed the state election commission to delete 348,000 names from the draft list electoral rolls that were included without verification (in) November,” Gopalaswami pointed out.
“A final electoral list will be published by March 10 in the run up to the elections,” he said, but declined to specify the dates for holding the polls.
“There is still time for that (election). Let the electoral rolls be streamlined and notified. I do not want to speculate. We are right now concerned about the voters’ list, as there have been only additions and no deletions in the rolls so far,” he affirmed.
Karnataka is on election mode after the fall of the eight-day BJP-led coalition government Nov 19 following the withdrawal of support by its estranged alliance partner Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S).
The state has been under President’s rule since Nov 28 for the second time and the state assembly was dissolved by Parliament.
Elections to the assembly will have to be held by May 28 as the state will complete six months under President’s rule by then.
Gopalaswami along with other two Election Commissioners – Navin Chawla and S.Y. Quraishi – are on a three-day visit to the city to study the state’s preparedness to hold elections.