AAP accuses BJP of submitting bulk applications to delete names of over 22,000 voters
New Delhi, Dec 11: Senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia on Wednesday alleged that the BJP was submitting bulk applications to election authorities for removal of voter names from the electoral rolls in seven assembly seats in Delhi as it feared defeat in the upcoming polls.
Addressing a press conference here with Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, Sisodia claimed, "When the BJP is unable to stop Arvind Kejriwal and defeat him in elections, the BJP is trying to win by other means."
He alleged that the BJP members and supporters submitted mass applications to delete the names of over 22,000 voters from the electoral rolls.
"This is a concerning issue which exposes how over 22,000 voters are being deleted -- a potential conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP. The fact that the Election Commission is considering these applications is even more dangerous.
"The BJP may have felt that they would lose in this constituency and don't have enough supporters there which is why they are engaging in this voter deletion strategy," the former deputy chief minister of Delhi said.
Responding to the accusations, the Delhi BJP said AAP is looking for excuses to cover up its defeat in the upcoming elections, and the campaign to get illegal voter names removed will continue.
Listing the names of the seven constituencies and providing details of the "fraudulent" applications received, Chadha said, "We found that people connected with the party have submitted the maximum number of applications for voter deletion.
"This raises the question: Why is it necessary to remove these names just two months before the elections? Who is behind this bulk deletion? There is a rule that one person cannot submit applications for deletion of more than 10 voters in a day," he added.
Applications were filed to delete 7,055 votes in Janakpuri, 3,861 in Karawal Nagar, 4,016 in Tughlakabad, 1,641 in Palam, 534 in Mustafabad, 637 in Hari Nagar, and 1,274 in Rajouri Garden, Chadha claimed.
The AAP MP claimed individuals who submitted these applications were either members of the BJP or its supporters.
Sharing details of the BJP functionaries, the AAP MP said, “When we conducted a preliminary investigation to identify these individuals, their association with the BJP became evident.
"For example, in Janakpuri, Mahinder Kumar Malik filed 194 applications, and another individual, Prince Garg, submitted 50 applications. Both are connected to the BJP, as seen in their membership details. Similarly, in Janakpuri, Hari Sharma’s case is identical, as he also has BJP links.”
Chadha added that in Mustafabad, Rajkumar, who filed 534 applications, can be seen in pictures with BJP leaders.
"These individuals are either directly or indirectly associated with the BJP. They may be working in BJP offices on payrolls, serving as their supporters, workers, or office bearers," he alleged.
The AAP leaders accused the BJP of targeting voters who are not aligned with their party and attempting to disenfranchise them through false claims.
They claimed these voters have been residing at their addresses for years and accused the BJP of attempting to prevent them from exercising their franchise.
A delegation of AAP led by Arvind Kejriwal met the Election Commission on Wednesday to raise the issue.
The BJP has been accusing AAP of facilitating the inclusion of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar, as voters during its tenure.
The issue of illegal immigrants has gained traction in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections due in February next year. AAP is eying a third consecutive term while the BJP aims to regain power in the capital after 25 years.
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Centre further tightens wheat stock limit for wholesalers, retailers & processors
New Delhi: The government on Wednesday further tightened wheat stock holding norms for wholesalers, small and big chain retailers, and processors to curb hoarding and check price rise.
"As part of continuous efforts to moderate prices of wheat, the central government has decided to revise the wheat stock limit applicable until 31st March 2025," the food ministry said in a statement.
According to the revised norms, wholesalers are now allowed to maintain wheat stock up to 1,000 tonne instead of 2,000 tonne, retailer can hold 5 tonne for each outlet instead of 10 tonne, while big chain retailer can hold 5 tonne for each outlet instead of 10 tonne earlier.
Processors will be allowed to maintain 50 per cent instead of 60 per cent of their monthly installed capacity multiplied by the remaining months till April 2025.
The stock limits on wheat were first imposed on June 24 and later revised to tighten the norms on September 9 in order to manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation.
The ministry said all wheat stocking entities are required to register on the wheat stock limit portal (https://evegoils.Nic.In/wsp/login) and update the stock position every Friday.
If the stocks held by entities are higher than the prescribed limit, they should bring the quantity to the prescribed stock limits within 15 days of the issue of the notification.
Any entity which is found to have not registered on the portal or violates the stock limits will be subject to suitable punitive action under the Essential Commodities Act,1955.
The food ministry is maintaining close watch over the stock position of wheat to control prices and ensure easy availability in the country.
