Voters' list in 130 constituencies avaialble in Urdu: UP govt

Lucknow, Dec 14 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh government today refuted the charges of Muslim clerics who had complained of non-publication of Urdu voters 'list in about 130 Assmebly constituencies which have sizable Muslims population.

Muslim delegation had met the Election Commission (EC) observer D K Goyal and demanded that an Urdu voters' list should be published before the crucial Assembly elections in the state.

''As per the rules , the voters list of certain constituencies are published in Urdu as well and it was misleading that the same are not avaialble,'' State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anuj Kumar Bishnoi told UNI here this afternoon.

The voters' lists in these constituencies are published in Hindi and Urdu and there should be no confusion over this, he said.

A Muslim delegation led by All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Vice-Chairman Kalbe Sadiq and Naib Imamb of Idgah Aisbagh Maulana Khalid Rashid had met the observer and expressed their annoyance over ignoring the Urdu voters' list in the electoral roll revision process.

The delegation also criticised the political parties for not raising the issue during their meeting with the Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswamy.

AIMPLB member and spokesperson for the delegation, Zafaryab Jilani told reporters here that as per the directives of the EC, voters list of 130 Assembly constitutencies in 31 districts of the state, including 8 constituencies here needs to be prepared in Hindi and Urdu.

Forms 6,7 and 8 required to be filled by the voters, filing objections against the omissions of their names or for corrections, do not exist in Urdu which makes the Urdu knowing population unable to fill up the said forms after understanding the contents and hence the very purpose of EC is being defeated, Mr Jilani said.

Due to these irregularities of non-release of Urdu voters' list, the valuable right of a voter available to the Muslim community and specially Urdu knowing population of the state is being seriously jeopardised and virtually amounts to being taken away, they added.

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