Mumbai : A renewed controversy has emerged in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district after allegations of serious irregularities in the Rajura assembly constituency’s voter list. Senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have drawn attention to what they call “vote theft”, citing manipulated electoral rolls.
The issue first came to light when Subhash Dhote, a senior Congress leader, reported discrepancies in the voter list during the 2024 Assembly elections. Following his complaint, Rajura Tehsildar Omprakash Gond filed a police report, naming 20 individuals allegedly linked to fraudulent voter registrations using their mobile numbers.
The person, speaking under the condition of anonymity, stated, I received an OTP from the Election Commission 11 months ago, and soon after, a stranger called and asked for the OTP, so I gave it. I have no other knowledge. I did not apply to be listed on the voter roll, nor did I know my name was in the FIR.”
Investigations by the Aaj Tak team revealed that many names, phone numbers, and addresses listed in the FIR were either fictitious or untraceable. Some numbers led to other states, and several people could not be contacted. A number was found to be registered in Gujarat, with the user denying any association. The situation suggests that OTPs sent to random phone numbers were used to enrol fake voters, with further details pending official investigation.
Congress leader Sachin Bhoyar from Gadchandur said, “In just seven days, many new voters were enroled. The names added to the voter list were from different states and did not exist in this assembly area. Some names were so unusual, like Vakil, America Rai, Ayodhya Prasad, YUH UQJJW, that they raised immediate suspicion.
Multiple entries under the same name appeared, each with different addresses and EPIC numbers. We believe this was a conspiracy involving a central agency working with local actors, he added. Law enforcement has faced challenges in the probe due to the lack of information about the origin of the fake voter registrations.
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