Former Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has criticised the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to lodge a police complaint regarding the alleged 'leak' of electoral roll data from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala.
The Congress-led Opposition used the voters’ list published on the commission's website to detect the double entries, Mr. Chennithala said, adding that he was prepared to face any investigation.
“We have discovered the double entries by inspecting the electoral rolls published on the commission's website. Where is the 'leak' in this?'' he asked.
The commission's decision to file a case against the efforts made to cleanse the list of double entries of voter names amounted to encroachment on the democratic process, Mr. Chennithala said on Saturday.
Instead of acting against the people responsible for the double entries, the commission was attempting to trap those who drew attention to the situation. This was unprecedented, he said, terming the commission's move a ''circus'' to save face.
Preparing a faultless electoral roll was the primary responsibility of the commission. But there were lapses in this regard. The Opposition merely brought to light - with proof - the fact that the number of double entries in the list was suprisingly high that it could hinder a fair election process, he said.
The commission's action does not bode well for democracy, Mr. Chennithala said.
