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Coimbatore Residents Protest Against Deletion Of Names From Voter List, Dravidianist Media Peddle Propaganda

The Commune

The Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu on 19 April 2024, unfolded with a tranquil atmosphere across the state. Youngsters and first-time voters actively engaged in the electoral process, while seasoned voters also exhibited the same enthusiasm. However, as the day progressed, sporadic issues emerged. Example, actor and comedian Soori encountered a hiccup when attempting to vote in Valasaravakkam, falling under the Sriperumbudur Lok Sabha constituency, due to his name being absent from the electoral roll but his wife name was present.

Then troubles escalated slowly in the Coimbatore district, where numerous voters encountered difficulties casting their ballots at various polling stations. They congregated and voiced their grievances to Tamil Nadu BJP President K Annamalai. Subsequently, a surge of complaints flooded in from the area, prompting the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party to express concerns regarding the disproportionately high number of missing voter names, particularly in constituencies favorable to them.

On the same day, members of the BJP staged a protest, claiming that approximately 830 voters were omitted from the electoral roll in the Kavundampalayam region within the Coimbatore Lok Sabha constituency. Many voters arriving at booth number 214 in Angappa School were disappointed to find their names absent from the electoral list. Out of a total of 1,353 voters registered for the local body elections, only 523 were listed for the parliamentary election. Upon learning of the issue, local BJP representatives arrived and interrogated election officials before initiating a sit-in protest. The same was echoed in Mayiladuthurai too.

BJP state president K Annamalai, who is contesting in Coimbatore, alleged that approximately one lakh voters’ names have been removed from the constituency’s voter list. He demanded re-polling in areas where these names were missing. Annamalai raised suspicions of political interference, asserting that names of BJP supporters had been deliberately removed from the voter list. The issue escalated when residents of Balan Nagar, Siva Nagar, and Ashok Nagar East in Kavundampalayam were allegedly denied permission to vote despite possessing valid voter IDs. They protested alongside BJP supporters, prompting Annamalai to visit the booth later in the day. Annamalai alleged instances of illogical removals, such as husbands and wives having their names split across different polling stations, and deceased individuals remaining on the list while their spouses’ names were omitted. Complaints regarding the deleted names were submitted to the district election returning officer and the district election observer.

The removal of votes caused confusion on one side, while on the other hand, the Chief Electoral Officer initially disclosed provisional voter turnout data at 7:30 PM post the elections on 19 April 2024, showing a turnout of 72.09%. Yet, this figure was later adjusted to 69.46% on the following day, and the revisions persisted until 21 April 2024. The subsequent alteration in the total voter turnout percentage by the Election Commission to 69.72% further fueled significant confusion among the populace. While minor fluctuations in turnout figures are typical, the discrepancies spanning several points across multiple constituencies raised concerns about the accuracy of the data.

Today, on 25 April 2024, electorates from various areas of Coimbatore assembled in the city to protest against the removal of names from the voter list. Under the banner “Public for Annamalai,” they staged a demonstration outside the Coimbatore District Commissioner’s Office, alleging significant disenfranchisement of voters in the Coimbatore constituency during the recent Lok Sabha elections.

The protest, backed by Annamalai’s supporters, saw the participation of BJP district president Ramesh, Hindu Makkal Katchi founder Arjun Sampath, Jalendran, and other Hindu organizations. During the demonstration, Public for Annamalai supporters chanted slogans demanding the rectification of the disenfranchisement issue and requested arrangements for re-voting before 4 June 2024.

A protester named Ramesh said that, “I had a chance to visit that area as I was in the camp. I went remove the ID of my demised parents, my name was not there. It was very surprising, father, mother’s name is there, my wife’s name is there, my name was not. I mailed continuosly to the election commission asking did they find my death certificate and in what basis did they removed. The only response received was aprroach the nearest Taluk office and no solution was given by them. I agree with all saying that this is a deliberate conspiracy”

Another protester, Gokuladas, approached and shared his experience, stating that he had cast his vote after receiving the voting slip. He revealed that his wife had tragically succumbed to COVID-19, but instaed of her, his daughter’s name was deleted from the voter list. Gokuladas recounted how he presented his Aadhaar card to the polling officer, insisting that both he and his daughter should be allowed to vote. After a heated exchange, the officers provided him with a form to fill out, enabling his daughter to vote after the polling process had commenced.

Following him, another protester named Dharmendra expressed his indignation, demanding to know who authorized the removal of voters’ names from the electoral roll. He questioned how such removal could occur without the consent of the affected individuals. Dharmendra suggested that someone should file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) with the Supreme Court, stating that this could provide a permanent solution to the issue.

Another woman stepped forward, introducing herself as a cardiologist, and said, “I’ve resided in the same house in ward 116 for 17 years, along with my father-in-law, mother-in-law, husband, daughter, and son. Although my husband, daughter, and son, who is a first-time voter, had their names on the voter list, mine, along with my father-in-law’s and mother-in-law’s, was missing. This came as a surprise to us. Having lived in the same area for 17 years and consistently voted, we didn’t feel the need to check the voter list beforehand. When we approached the Polling Liaison Officer (PLO), she recognized us by name and by my father-in-law’s name. She suggested our ward might have changed to 117 and promised to verify. We expected her to provide us with a booth slip, but she didn’t. Upon checking online, we couldn’t find our names listed.”

Another woman identified herself as Hema and claimed that she had voted, but while volunteering at the booth, she discovered that most of her cousins’ names had been removed from the voter list. Despite their efforts until 5 o’clock, they were unable to rectify the situation. Additionally, another couple encountered a similar issue where the husband’s name was registered at one booth and he successfully cast his vote, but his wife’s name was listed in another area 2 kilometers away. These incidents left everyone deeply disappointed, and there is a strong demand for a re-election.

Another protesting woman arrived from Pothanur, indicating that she belonged to Ward 95. She shared her story, “This time they have removed my vote, I know this after i went to the booth. There are three votes in my house, after me my daughter and my son got voting rights but my son and daughter who came through me have voting rights but not me. All have strategically planned this, all here can guess who planned this. As I was standing in my booth ten to twelve members didn’t had vote, all were Padmavathy, revathy, kuppusamy, Uma like this only we were disenfranchised. I immediately asked how you removed my name and I have a card. They said that this card should be renewed, I asked whether this is for credit card or debit card that should be renewed. she was blabbering asking to get empty form etc. Everything is neatly planned, this is a planned motive to take away all the Hindu votes! All the Hindu votes! See the clean planning on all the booths, in 2022 I’ve voted and in the same area I’ve been residing for past 45 years” 

Immediately, the Dravidian underdogs launched a narrative, claiming a calculated agenda behind the events and began promoting their usual narrative without verifying any reports or statements. They singled out the protesters, focusing on those who had already voted and alleging that the entire incident was a staged performance. However, this perspective falls apart when considering that some protesters, like actor Soori, had their names removed from the voter list while their spouses’ names remained. If Soori and his spouse participated in the demonstration, is it hardly wrong? The feeble excuses put forth by D-stocks are pitiful to witness—they lack logic and coherence, merely aiming to promote their narrative and earn approval from their leaders.

Even more unfortunate was their dissemination of a video that appeared to condone the normalization of removing names from the voter list without consent, suggesting it was acceptable because similar incidents had occurred in previous elections over the years.

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