Mahua Moitra Files Police Complaint Against Election Commission DG IT Seema Khanna

Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra has intensified her legal challenge against the Election Commission of India (ECI) by filing a formal complaint against a high-ranking official. On Thursday, the MP approached the Parliament Street Police Station in New Delhi to submit a complaint seeking the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Seema Khanna, the Director General of Information Technology (DG IT) at the Election Commission. This move marks a significant escalation in the ongoing dispute between the opposition and the poll body regarding the integrity of the electoral rolls.

Police Investigation and Timeline

Following the submission of the complaint, the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Parliament Street Police Station stated that the department would first conduct a preliminary investigation into the matter. The police have requested time until the 5th of the month to examine the allegations and determine if there is a sufficiently strong legal basis to register an FIR. Mahua Moitra has indicated that she will return to the police station on the 6th to follow up on the progress of the investigation and seek further information regarding the police's decision.

Previous Complaints Against the CEC

This legal action follows a previous complaint filed by Mahua Moitra against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, at the same police station. Moitra has been consistently critical of the Election Commission's leadership, even going as far as labeling Gyanesh Kumar a traitor. She highlighted that the CEC had previously demanded an apology or an affidavit from the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, concerning his statements on vote theft. Moitra now asserts that the commission's own officials are responsible for the discrepancies, suggesting that the allegations of misconduct are being proven true.

Allegations of Voter List Manipulation

The core of the controversy involves the SIR voter list. Opposition parties have alleged that there has been systematic manipulation of the electoral data. The specific accusation against Seema Khanna is that she utilized the Election Commission's digital and IT infrastructure, known as ECINet, to make unauthorized changes to the voter list data. It's alleged that these digital modifications were carried out without the knowledge or consent of local election officials, who are typically responsible for the ground-level management of the voter rolls.

Impact on Millions of Voters

The opposition claims that this digital intervention and alleged manipulation have had a devastating impact on the electorate. They assert that millions of legitimate voters across the country had their names deleted from the voter lists as a result of these changes. The complaint suggests that the use of the ECINet system for such unauthorized alterations has compromised the transparency of the electoral process. By filing this complaint, Mahua Moitra aims to bring legal scrutiny to the technological operations of the Election Commission and ensure accountability for the alleged mass deletion of voters.