Election Commission Working Under Government Pressure: Syed Muzaffar Hussain
Congress Leader Alleges 90,000 Bogus Names In Voter List, Calls Ward Delimitation Unfair
Mira Road: Congress leader and former MLA Syed Muzaffar Hussain has accused the Election Commission of functioning under the influence of the ruling government, alleging serious irregularities in the electoral roll and the ward delimitation process for the upcoming municipal elections.
90,000 Suspicious Names In Voter List
Addressing a press conference, Hussain claimed that the voter list for Assembly Constituency 145 (Mira-Bhayandar) contains nearly 90,000 suspicious entries. Thousands of names, he said, appear twice in different places, while many names of deceased persons are still on the rolls. He further pointed out that individuals who have migrated from the constituency remain on the list.
Hussain alleged that voter names from Constituency 145 have been shifted to 146 and vice versa, and in many cases, residents’ names are registered in the wrong localities altogether. He reminded that Congress had flagged these issues during the last Assembly elections, but no corrective steps were taken by the Commission.
Flawed Municipal Ward Delimitation
Criticising the recently announced municipal ward boundaries, Hussain said the delimitation is based on the 2011 Census but has been carried out in a highly disproportionate manner.
- Some wards have 100,000 voters,
- others around 75,000,
- while a few have only 20,000.
“This is grossly unjust and undermines the principle of fair representation,” Hussain argued, adding that Congress has filed objections citing provisions of the Representation of the People Act as well as Supreme Court and High Court rulings.
Legal Action If Ignored
He warned that if the Election Commission refuses to hear their objections, the Congress will be left with no choice but to approach the courts.
Development Plan And Other Issues
Hussain also slammed the approval of the new Development Plan (DP), claiming that objections raised by citizens were ignored. “The DP does not align with the city’s rapid growth and has been approved under political pressure,” he said.
Welcoming the long-pending relocation of the Dahisar toll naka, Hussain noted that it came after a wait of 15 years, but warned that traffic congestion problems in the region still persist and require urgent government attention.