BJP MP Anurag Sharma's name missing from Prayagraj-Jhansi MLC poll voter list, SP raises questions

The name of BJP MP Anurag Sharma is missing from the voter list for the Legislative Council election in the Allahabad-Jhansi constituency. The MP had filled in and submitted the voter registration form, but his name could not be added to the list.

Chandrapal Singh Yadav, a former Samajwadi Party MP, reacted to the omission. He said that if even an MP's name is missing, one can imagine how many other names must have been struck off. He said the voter list is incomplete and that the Election Commission has given a very cursory explanation on it.

Separately, a violation of the election code of conduct has been alleged at Panchsheel Boys Inter College in Sector 91, Noida. The allegation was made by Dr Aashray Gupta, the Samajwadi Party's Noida city president. He demanded that the district election administration take cognisance of the matter and order a fair inquiry.

Dr Gupta also alleged that rules are being ignored during the election. He further alleged collusion between the BJP president and Raghavendra Singh, the Kotwali in-charge for the second phase.

The allegations have not yet been officially confirmed. The SP city president asked whether election rules should apply equally to all political parties and the officials concerned. He demanded that the Election Commission and the district election administration investigate and act on the basis of the facts.

Dr Gupta said elections in a democracy must be fair and transparent. According to him, rules should not be ignored under pressure from any political party. It remains to be seen what action the election administration takes on the allegations.

The missing name is not said to be limited to one MP. SP leaders say that if an MP's name is not on the list, the fear that ordinary voters' names have been struck off grows deeper. For this reason, they are demanding a full scrutiny of the list.