BSP demands inclusion of temporary migrants in voters list in K'taka

New Delhi, Mar 8 (UNI) The Bahujan Samaj Party has urged the Election Commission to hold assembly elections in Karnataka only after preparing comprehensive voters list to avoid exclusion of about one million SC, ST and Backward class voters of the northern districts of the state.

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner, BSP Supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati alleged that the voters list was being prepared in Karnataka in a great hurry and without looking into and completely ignoring the peculiar problem prevailing in the North Karnataka districts of Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur, Koppal, Bellary, Bijapur, Dharward, Gadag, Haveri and Belgaum.

She said the names of about one million voters did not find place in the present voters list. These people, mostly belonging to SCs, STs and BCs, moved out temporarily every year for a period of more than four months to different cities and neighbouring states like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa, Pune and Bangalore for getting temporary employment as daily wagers due to non availability of employment in their home towns.

''Their names will also not be found and cannot find place in the voters list of those cities or states where they work temporarily.

In this way, they are deprived of their fundamental right to exercise their franchise in their permanent place residence in Karnataka.'' In this context, Ms Mayawati pointed out that it was necessary to prepare new electoral rolls on the basis of new delimitation of constituencies, only after giving sufficient time to such temporary migrants for filing objections.

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