Pilibhit voters’ list controversy: ECI orders suspension of two EROs

Opposition parties, primarily the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP), alleged large-scale electoral roll manipulation in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit Assembly constituency. File

The Election Commission of India has ordered the suspension of two electoral registration officers (EROs) in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit Assembly constituency over alleged irregularities in the electoral roll and directed the addition of a penal provision to an FIR lodged against them.

In a letter to the chief electoral officer (CEO), Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday (October 31), the Commission directed that EROs Mayank Goswami and Hemant Chaudhary be placed under immediate suspension.

Their charge sheets must be submitted to the ECI for scrutiny (vetting), and they cannot be reinstated without the Commission's prior approval.

The poll authority also directed that Section 198 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, be added to the existing FIR against the two officers and Anil Kumar, a voter registration centre computer operator. Their cases must be pursued rigorously, the poll body said.

The Commission has also made it clear that disciplinary authorities must consult it before dropping proceedings initiated on its recommendation solely on the basis of an official's written explanation.

The controversy erupted after opposition parties, primarily the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP), alleged large-scale electoral roll manipulation.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa had earlier directed district election officers to deactivate the ECINET portal IDs of computer assistants at voter registration centres across the state, following complaints of alleged misuse of login credentials in Pilibhit.