Date:28/04/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/04/28/stories/2004042807291100.htm

National

Rigging in Varanasi: CPI(M)

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, APRIL 27: The Communist Party of India (M) has described as a "farce" Monday's Lok Sabha election in Varanasi. The low voter turnout only reflected the people's "disgust" with the BJP-led NDA rule, said Suneet Chopra, CPI(M) Central Committee member and joint secretary of the All-India Agricultural Workers' Union, here today.

In a statement issued here on his return from Varanasi, Mr. Chopra claimed that the names of "hundreds of people" were missing from the voters' list though they had identity cards. They expressed their anger through protests all over the constituency.

The lists were released late by the administration and were full of omissions and had repetitions of names. Mr. Chopra quoted several such instances and alleged at least 10 per cent of the votes had either been "denied or manipulated."

Mr. Chopra said that in Anantapur, adivasis were "physically prevented from voting." In other polling stations, some innocent people thought they were voting but the machines were not working, he claimed.