Kejriwal accuses BJP of 'voter deletion' conspiracy ahead of Delhi assembly polls
New Delhi, Dec 6: AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday accused the BJP of orchestrating large-scale deletions of voters' names from the electoral rolls in the run-up to the Delhi Assembly elections.
Kejriwal claimed that BJP leaders had submitted applications to the Election Commission of India (ECI) to remove thousands of voter names from constituencies like Shahdara, Janakpuri, and Laxmi Nagar.
Citing the example of Shahdara, Kejriwal alleged that the BJP had applied to delete 11,018 voter names from the constituency.
"When we randomly checked 500 of these names, we found that 75 percent of the people are still residing at the listed addresses. This is nothing but an attempt to manipulate the electoral process,” he said.
The AAP leader connected the alleged deletions to the saffron party's narrow victory in Shahdara during the 2020 Assembly elections, where AAP won by a margin of just 5,294 votes.
He argued that removing 11,000 voters -- about 6 per cent of the total electorate in the constituency -- could significantly affect the outcome.
Meanwhile, the district magistrate of Shahdara refuted Kejriwal’s claims in a post on X, stating, “Only 494 Form 7 (deletion application) requests have been received in the Shahdara constituency since October 29, 2024. The claim of 11,018 deletion requests is factually incorrect.”
To support his allegations, Kejriwal presented several individuals at the press conference, whose names he claimed were targeted for deletion.
"These voters are alive and continue to live at the same addresses listed on the voter rolls. For instance, Upendra Kumar resides at A-334, Uma Devi at B-8 Ambedkar Nagar, and Sunil Kumar at B-326," he said.
Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva dismissed Kejriwal' allegations as “baseless” and accused AAP of shielding fraudulent voters.
"Rohingyas and Bangladeshis are being caught, and Kejriwal is panicking because this vote bank, funded by money he allegedly receives from foreign sources, is being exposed," Sachdeva said.
"The greatest strength of Indian democracy is free speech, but the baseless comments made against constitutional institutions need to be examined."
Kejriwal also accused the ECI of "secretly processing deletion requests without transparency." He called for all deletion applications to be published on the ECI website and demanded a halt to deletions initiated after October 18.
There was no immediate response from the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer regarding the allegations.
Terming the voter deletions a "conspiracy to disenfranchise citizens," Kejriwal said, "The BJP knows it is losing the elections, which is why it is resorting to such unfair tactics."
He warned of legal action against officials involved in any irregularities.
The Delhi Assembly elections, scheduled for February, are crucial for AAP, which is seeking a third consecutive term after securing a landslide victory in 2020, winning 62 out of 70 seats.
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UP govt sacks five doctors, orders action against 16 health officials for negligence
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Brajesh Pathak on Friday ordered strict action against several health officials, including the dismissal of five doctors from service, over alleged negligence, dereliction of duty and irregularities in the health department.
According to an official statement issued by his office, five medical officers were dismissed for remaining absent from duty for a prolonged period without information and for staying away from medical work.
Those dismissed include Dr Alaknanda of the district hospital in Gorakhpur, Dr Ramji Bhardwaj posted under the Kushinagar Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Saurabh Singh posted under the Balrampur CMO, Dr Viklesh Kumar Sharma of CHC Jagdishpur in Amethi and Dr Monica Verma of CHC Dibiyapur in Auraiya, it stated.
The government also ordered departmental disciplinary proceedings against 16 medical officers, including Ambedkar Nagar CMO Dr Sanjay Kumar Shaival and Deputy CMO Dr Sanjay Verma, over alleged irregularities in the registration and renewal process of private hospitals, nursing homes and ultrasound centres, it added.
According to the statement, "the two officers were found guilty of deliberately violating government norms, misusing their positions and showing negligence in clearing files for personal interests."
"A preliminary inquiry conducted by a three-member committee, including an Additional District Magistrate, reportedly confirmed several complaints against them, following which Pathak ordered strict action."
Departmental proceedings were also ordered against Hardoi Medical Superintendent Dr Manoj Kumar Singh for allegedly failing to act against unauthorised private hospitals operating in the district and neglecting official responsibilities.
The health department has also sought an explanation from the Hardoi CMO over assigning senior-level responsibilities to a junior doctor despite the availability of senior officers in the district.
The statement said action has also been initiated against several doctors in separate cases related to alleged negligence in treatment, administrative lapses, improper medico-legal examinations and misconduct with colleagues.
Among them are Dr Shameem Akhtar of Prayagraj, doctors and a pharmacist posted at CHC Lambhua in Sultanpur, and two doctors at the district hospital in Mathura accused of negligence in preparing medico-legal reports in an assault case.
Departmental proceedings were also ordered against doctors posted in Balrampur, Varanasi, Badaun, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sambhal and other districts for alleged negligence in medical duties.
In another case, Dr Rituj Agrawal, an associate professor in the orthopaedics department of the government medical college in Badaun, faces disciplinary action over allegations of abusing and misbehaving with a woman doctor and another colleague.
Two doctors -- Dr Pratibha Yadav of Bahraich and Dr Rakesh Singh of Mathura -- have been awarded censure punishment in separate negligence-related cases.
The statement further said the deputation of Dr Aditya Pandey, who was posted with the State Health Agency under the cashless treatment scheme for government employees, has been terminated with immediate effect over alleged misconduct and inappropriate behaviour with a colleague.
He has been sent back to his original posting in Raebareli and departmental action has also been ordered, it added.
The government has also ordered withholding of salary increments in several cases. Dr Lalmani, a gynaecologist currently posted in Hamirpur, has been penalised with permanent stoppage of three increments and censure punishment over allegations of extortion from patients and misbehaviour during an earlier posting in Azamgarh.
Four increments of Dr Santosh Singh of Balrampur and two increments of Dr Nisha Bundela of Jhansi have also been withheld.
Action has also been directed against Dr Pawan Sahu, an orthopaedic surgeon at the trauma centre in Moth, Jhansi, after allegations of private practice against him were found to be true, the statement added.
