Congress, CPI(M) Spar Over Kozhikode Voter List Discrepancies

Fast Summary

• The draft voters’ list for Kozhikode district, published ahead of local body polls, has sparked allegations and counter-allegations among major political parties.
• District Congress Committee President K. Praveenkumar claimed their study found at least one lakh “double votes” and fake voter identity cards in the district, including 25,000 in Kozhikode Corporation alone. He alleged 98% of these were linked to the CPI(M), citing examples from specific areas like Azhchavattam ward and Balussery Assembly constituency.
• kozhikode Deputy Mayor C.P. Musafar Ahmed refuted these claims, stating that changes to the voters’ list followed legal procedures as per State Election Commission guidelines. He accused UDF and BJP of attempting similar tampering in certain areas.
• CPI(M)’s district committee accused its opposition parties-particularly IUML-of creating fake accusations while allegedly inserting irregular entries into rolls in other wards such as Nadapuram grama panchayat and Vadakara municipality.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The controversy surrounding the draft voters’ list highlights deeper electoral challenges tied to verifying voter identities during local body polls-a crucial issue affecting democratic integrity at grassroots levels. Allegations from all sides underscore concerns about potential misuse of electoral mechanisms for political advantage but also demonstrate a lack of consensus on procedural clarity across factions like Congress/UDF and LDF/CPI(M).For India’s evolving democracy, such disputes emphasize the critical need for robust institutional safeguards led by election commissions to ensure clean electoral processes untainted by partisan activities or administrative lapses.

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