UP Congress says Election Commission asked voters to fill Form-8 to correct errors
· India · Hindustan Times, LiveMint
The Uttar Pradesh Congress submitted a letter to the Election Commission alleging that voters with discrepancies were required to fill Form-8 during a special voter campaign, a responsibility it said the EC must bear. The party claimed that at several polling booths in Pilibhit Assembly Constituency, BLO officials made voters with list errors fill pre‑filled Form-8 and sign without acknowledgment slips. Kumud Gangwar, a whistle‑blower and former UP Congress general secretary, confirmed that voters were only asked to sign or thumb‑impress, while Anas Khan of the party accused the EC of using Form-8 to hide a "vote theft" conspiracy. The allegations include missing acknowledgment slips, unsigned forms, and videos being collected as evidence. The letter also noted that no date appeared on the forms, raising concerns about procedural irregularities and potential cover‑ups by EC staff.
Why it matters
The complaint threatens to complicate the post‑SIR voter list verification process in Uttar Pradesh, potentially prompting an EC investigation and raising doubts about the fairness of the upcoming elections. Congress leaders and whistleblowers are now relying on the evidence they gathered to push for an inquiry, which could lead to disciplinary action against officials, while voters remain uncertain about whether their names will be correctly included in the final electoral rolls.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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