Tirupati Bogus Voting Case Probe Gains Fresh Momentum
A special inquiry team, recently constituted to expedite the investigation, arrived in the city and began gathering evidence on electoral malpractices reported during the Tirupati Lok Sabha by-election.
Tirupati:Tirupati’s long-pending bogus voting case, which triggered a political uproar in Andhra Pradesh, has resurfaced with fresh momentum after months of inactivity.
A special inquiry team, recently constituted to expedite the investigation, arrived in the city and began gathering evidence on electoral malpractices reported during the Tirupati Lok Sabha by-election.
The case dates back to 2021 when thousands of fake names were allegedly added to the rolls. The then deputy municipal commissioner Chandramouliswara Reddy and several revenue officials had been suspended for their alleged role in this.
The Election Commission, faced with several such complaints from states, has directed that those directly and indirectly involved be identified.
In a recent review meeting chaired by district collector S Venkateshwar, senior officials discussed the progress of the probe. Thereafter, the authorities assigned a senior official from Anantapur to lead a team to study the issues and prepare a detailed report.
The team collected relevant records, including voter application details, approval processes, and information on then BLOs, computer operators, VRAs, election DTs, ERVOs and RDOs. Further questioning of these personnel is likely.
The row also led to disciplinary action against several police personnel last year. The EC suspended officers accused of diluting the investigation despite evidence that 34,000 fake EPIC cards were printed and used to cast votes. Complaints and official reports had prompted the police to register 13 cases, but most were closed citing lack of evidence.
One incident occurred on April 17, 2021, during polling at the Scavengers Colony municipal high s. A 21-year-old man was caught attempting to vote using another person’s EPIC card and voter slip. Activists handed him over to the police, but the case was booked under bailable IPC sections.
Investigators later found that neither polling officials nor eyewitnesses were questioned, and that the fake documents, including voter and Aadhaar cards, were not seized. “The case was diverted from its normal course at that point,” an inquiry officer observed.
The inquiry team would now re-examine these matters and determine how the earlier probe was compromised, with the EC seeking a conclusive report in the coming weeks.
