Order probe into attempts by AAP govt to enrol false voters for SGPC polls: Akali Dal

Chandigarh, Aug 9 (IANS) The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday urged Gurdwara Elections Chief Commissioner Justice (retd) S.S. Saron to order a probe into “blatant attempts” by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to enrol false voters for the forthcoming Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections.In a letter to the Gurdwara Elections Commission, SAD leader Daljit Cheema said some startling instances of misuse of government machinery to enrol fake voters had come to the attention of the party’s legal cell.He said a well-wisher had forwarded the chat history from a WhatsApp group titled Election Supervisor Jagraon in which senior officers were openly exhorting their juniors to enrol false voters for the SGPC elections.Cheema said as per the WhatsApp chat, which had been forwarded to the commission, a government employee had objected to registration of false voters for the SGPC elections by stating that even if a false vote was made by using someone’s Aadhaar card and affixing his picture from the voter identification card the person involved could challenge it in a court.The SAD leader said the government official had asked his superior officer to tell who would be responsible if this happened.Cheema said instead of clearly telling junior officials not to indulge in any illegality, the Sub-divisional Magistrate of Raikot had tried to egg on the officials to indulge in fake registration of voters for the SGPC elections by stating that all complaints would come to him and then would be forwarded to the Deputy Commissioner.The SAD leader said this indicated that the SDM was passing on a message to his juniors that they should not worry about indulging in this illegal act.Urging the Gurdwara Elections to curb such illegalities and prevail from the AAP government to enrol new voters for the SGPC polls in a completely transparent manner, Cheema urged the Chief Commissioner to order strict action against the erring officers immediately.–IANSvg/pgh