EC postpones publication of final voters' list in Tripura

Agartala, Jun 14 (UNI) Following allegations of irregularities and malpractices in electoral roll, the Election Commission (EC) has deferred publication of final voters' list in Tripura.

Official sources here today said that the EC would send four observers to verify final photo electoral rolls, prepared by the state poll panel, and dispose of complaints.

''We have already issued photo identity cards to 99.38 per cent of the voters in the state and included their names in the list.

However, the remaining voters will also be duly enlisted,'' state Chief Election Officer G S G Ayengar said.

He also claimed that Tripura had achieved the highest coverage among the states in terms of issuing photo identity cards.

The intervention by the poll panel has come in the wake of a series of allegations leveled by the Congress and the ruling CPI(M) against each other that the parties included the names of minors, dead persons and Bangladeshi residents in the electoral roll.

According to the draft publication, the total number of electorate was 20.24 lakh while it went down to 20.12 lakh as final rolls were prepared, Mr Ayengar said adding that altogether 85,000 voters' names were deleted from the electoral rolls from 60 Assembly constituencies before commencement of the revision of electoral rolls.

UNI