Taking steps to ensure fair polls: Rajesh Lakhoni to Madras HC
Lakhoni submitted that who should be notified as Electoral Registration Officer was the absolute discretion of EC.
Chennai: Stating that it is taking every step to have an accurate voters list devoid of discrepancies, which will in turn ensure free and fair elections, the EC prayed the Madras HC to dismiss a petition filed by DMK with costs.
Chief Electoral Officer Rajesh Lakhoni stated this in his counter affidavit filed in response to a petition from DMK, represented by its organisation secretary, R.S. Bharathi, which sought a direction to EC to appoint central government officers to act as Electoral Registration Officers and also Booth Level Officers to re-check the entire voters list published on January 20.
Justice R. Subbiah said as per the notification of the Madras high court, the matter relating to Assembly election 2016 should be posted before the First Bench. He directed the Registry to list the matter before the First Bench on Tuesday (March 8.).
Lakhoni submitted that who should be notified as Electoral Registration Officer was the absolute discretion of EC. Hence, the petitioner’s prayer was not maintainable and liable to be rejected.
The EC and its officials were undertaking a comprehensive exercise to update and correct the electoral rolls to ensure proper representation and at the same time to ensure free and fair elections. The total entries under deletion was 6,84,105. In the circumstances, as all steps have been taken to ensure that electoral rolls were accurate and there were no duplications, there was no cause for the petitioner or any other political party to apprehend and seek interference of this court. It was not correct to say that election officials were bent upon favouring the ruling party. Lakhoni denied the averment that bogus voters and dead persons were included in the list.