Atal Behari Vajpayee’s name struck off voter list in Lucknow

Lucknow: Former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will not be able to cast his vote in the upcoming municipal elections in Uttar Pradesh this time as his name has been struck off the rolls, on grounds of being “inactive and absent” from Lucknow for several years now.

The former Prime Minister’s name was removed the electoral rolls during the recent voter revision program.

Mr Vajpayee’s name was registered as a voter from the Babu Banarsi Das ward in Lucknow and had last voted in 2004 during Lok Sabha elections. His last vote in municipal elections was in 2000.

Mr Vajpayee had been an MP for the 1999-2004 term.

“Mr Vajpayee has not been living at the address registered with the Municipal Corporation for many years now. It is for this reason that his name has been removed from the voter list,” Ashok Kumar Singh, the zonal officer of Municipal Zone-1, said.

The Lucknow address registered as Mr Vajpayee’s home is 92/98-1 in Basmandi, which is now the office of Kisan Sangh.

According to the official, Mr Vajpayee has not visited the city for at least 10 years now. The former PM had retired from active politics soon after the 2004 Lok Sabha elections in which the BJP lost power to the Congress. He now resides in Delhi and is mostly confined to his home due to health issues.