Congress Highlights Voter List Discrepancies In Nagaland And Requests Verification

The Congress party raised concerns regarding 157,752 voter-entry discrepancies in Nagaland and requested greater transparency and verification of electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision. The press conference took place on October 27 at Congress Bhavan in Kohima, led by All India Congress Committee observers Pranav Shagotra and Banna Gupta, alongside Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee president and Lok Sabha MP S Supongmeren Jamir. The leaders stated that the party was examining these voter-list discrepancies as part of a nationwide exercise.

Jamir stated that Nagaland had 1,357,208 voters, whereas records from the state Election Department accounted for 1,199,456, creating a difference of 157,752 entries. This gap was attributed to categories such as untraceable voters, permanent migration, deceased individuals, duplicate or already-enrolled entries, and other reasons. Shagotra presented district figures, including 7,900 entries in Mokokchung, 11,513 in Zunheboto, 6,547 in Kiphire, 3,325 in Longleng, and 9,032 in Tuensang categorised as untraceable or deleted. He argued that such discrepancies could influence election outcomes, especially in smaller states with narrow victory margins. Furthermore, Shagotra questioned Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over transparency issues, claiming electronic voter lists were initially withheld despite requests from Rahul Gandhi.

Gupta called for the removal of Kumar and alleged political misuse of central agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate. While acknowledging that voter verification is necessary to clear duplicates and update records for deceased or relocated voters, Gupta warned that the process risks excluding eligible voters. The Congress has deployed district observers to compare records and will submit findings to the All India Congress Committee. Meanwhile, NPCC working president Khriedi Theunuo urged eligible voters to verify their names are on the electoral rolls, referencing an October 12 Election Office communication stating no eligible voter should be excluded.