Data theft row: BJP complains to EC against Telugu Desham

The BJP State unit has lodged a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) against the electoral data theft, massive irregularities in electoral rolls, electoral malpractices and also sought replacement of the Andhra Pradesh DGP.

Alleging that DGP RP Thakur was partial towards the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP), BJP State president Kanna Lakshminarayana said they have sought appointment of a new DGP for clean, fair and transparent elections.

Addressing media persons, Kanna, Rajya Sabha members GVL Narasimha Rao and V Muraleedharan, MLC PVN Madhav and others alleged that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is openly threatening the BJP leaders and instigating people to target and thrash them. They said that the police was acting in a biased manner in favour of the ruling party. The DGP and some other high ranking officers should be sent out of the State during elections so as to give confidence to political parties as well as voters that the election will free and fair, they stressed.

Lakshminarayana said with the active connivance of those in influential positions in the government, confidential and secure data of voters and residents of the State was leaked to the ruling TDP. 

“Such large-scale data theft has not only put the people of the State at risk, but has also given an undue advantage to the TDP. It has gained illegitimate access to data such as Aadhaar card numbers and linked bank accounts, photographs of all voters from the master voter database of EC, social mapping and political preferences of voters obtained through government-sponsored surveys among others,” he said.

Accusing the government of subverting all official processes to gain undue advantage over political rivals, the BJP leaders said these allegations are based on the ongoing investigations carried out by the Telangana Police.

He emphasised the need for corrective measures by the EC to nullify the undue advantage factor and to take action against the TDP according to law. The BJP leaders claimed the TDP has conspired from the beginning to have the names of those voters who opposed it deleted from the voters’ list and acquiring the public data illegally was part of that conspiracy.

Further, the BJP leaders claimed that bogus votes were included to influence the outcome. Stating that 18 lakh voters were removed from the list after 2014 polls, they said a similar number of bogus voters were added to fill the gap. They urged the EC to conduct a Special Revision of Electoral Rolls in Andhra Pradesh under the supervision of senior, full-time functionaries of the commission immediately.