Congress to raise voter list issue with fresh proof

Bhopal: Campaign committee chairman of Madhya Pradesh Congress, Jyotiraditya Scindia, on Monday indicated that his party would soon place fresh evidence on bogus voters on electoral roll of MP before election commission (EC).

Mr Scindia’s announcement comes close on the heels of rejection of claim by Congress that there were around 60 lakh bogus voters in MP.

“Congress will move EC on the issue of bogus voters once again with fresh evidence”, he told reporters here.

Mr Scindia questioned the manner the probe by EC was done on the issue.

“It took just four days to the EC probe teams to dismiss our claim of 60 lakh bogus voters in the state. There should be physical verification of each complain of fake voters in electoral rolls in MP. Random checks cannot unearth bogus voters of such a massive scale”, he added.

In another development, Mr Scindia on Monday addressed the Lodhi community, considered electorally influential in MP, and tried to woo them to vote for Congress in the next elections.

Taking aim at BJP leadership for “marginalizing” Uma Bharti, a Lodhi community leader, he said that “BJP sidelined her despite the fact that she led the party to power in MP in 2003”.

“I am an admirer of Uma Bharti”, he said apparently trying to exploit seeming resentment among the community over her alleged marginalization in the party.

Union minister Ms Bharti has been stripped of prestigious Ganga Rejuvenation portfolio in the recent reshuffle in the Union cabinet.

She has also recently declared not contest elections in future, but she would campaign for the BJP.