Patna: RJD on Wednesday approached the Election Commission seeking an extension of the deadline for voter registration in the Tirhut graduates’ constituency, removal of allegedly ineligible voters from the electoral roll and reopening of the election panel’s registration portal.A delegation comprising RJD national general secretary Bhola Yadav, Chittaranjan Gagan, Madan Sharma and Faiyaz Alam Kamal submitted a memorandum to additional chief electoral officer Ashok Priyadarshi in the absence of the chief electoral officer.The party alleged that a large number of ineligible voters had been registered in the constituency. It also alleged that Rohit Chaudhary, posted at Dumra block, had been deputed to the Sitamarhi district magistrate’s office for graduate voter registration and was favouring a particular political group. The RJD further claimed that registration forms submitted by supporters of opposition parties were not being accepted.According to the memorandum, the Tirhut divisional commissioner’s office in Muzaffarpur had fixed Sept 9 as the last date for submitting voter registration forms.The party claimed that applications could not be submitted on Sept 3 and 4 as the Tirhut divisional commissioner was on leave. Sept 5 was a holiday on account of Janmashtami, followed by Sunday on Sept 6.The RJD further alleged that the submission process was halted on Sept 7 after a person whom the party described as a prospective candidate of a particular political group allegedly created a disturbance at the commissioner’s office.The party said the interruptions had deprived eligible graduate voters of adequate time to register.Seeking a “free, fair and transparent” electoral process, Gagan demanded an inquiry into the alleged irregularities and removal of ineligible names from the electoral roll.“The Election Commission should conduct an inquiry into allegedly fake voters and remove ineligible names from the electoral roll. The deadline for submitting voter registration forms should be extended and a dedicated counter opened at the Tirhut divisional commissioner’s office to facilitate applications. The Election Commission’s voter registration portal should also be reopened,” he said.The delegation urged the election authorities to take corrective measures to ensure that all eligible graduates get an opportunity to register and participate in the electoral process.
