'Waiting since morning': Harish Rawat's name missing at polling station
What's the story
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat couldn't vote in the municipal body elections on Thursday as his name couldn't be found on the voters' list. The Congress leader, who is a long-time resident of Dehradun's Niranjanpur neighborhood, voted there in the April-June Lok Sabha election and the 2022 Assembly election. "I have been waiting since morning...but my name was not found at the polling station at which I voted in the Lok Sabha election," he told news agency PTI.
Political accusation
Rawat criticizes BJP over missing name incident
Rawat also slammed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and hinted they could have had a role in his name disappearing from the voters' list. "I should have been more alert... knowing they are involved in adding and removing names from the list," he said. When he brought this matter to State Election Commission's notice, he was apparently told a malfunctioning computer server was responsible for this mishap.
Election overview
Municipal elections underway across Uttarakhand
The municipal elections are underway across Uttarakhand for 11 municipal corporations, 43 municipal councils, and 46 Nagar Panchayats. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has urged voters to support BJP candidates in these elections. "You have always stood by the BJP and (helped) form a double-engine government. You made Narendra Modi the Prime Minister, again. I appeal to all of you... please make all BJP candidates win and help form a triple-engine government," he said.