22 February,2017 08:24 AM IST | | Shashank Rao
It's almost like Malji Velji on Dr Vigas Street in Kalbadevi never even existed. None of the 15-20 residents of the building could find his/her name in the voters' lists of ward 222 yesterday
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Residents of the building who couldn't vote yesterday since their names were missing from the voters' lists. Pics/Sneha Kharabe
It's almost like Malji Velji on Dr Vigas Street in Kalbadevi never even existed. None of the 15-20 residents of the building could find his/her name in the voters' lists of ward 222 yesterday.
"There were names and photographs of strangers against the building. We had to force the election officers to look into the issue," said V Pathak, a resident of Malji Velji.
The answer to the mystery left them even more perplexed. The Election Commission had put the residents in the records of deleted names, showing that all of them had moved out of the building.
Malji Velji on Dr Vigas Street in Kalbadevi
The affected citizens claimed they had valid voter ID cards and that they had voted in past elections.
When the irate residents demanded that they be allowed to vote, the election officials told them to take it up with Mantralaya.
A complaint was then registered with the Election Commission, stating that names had been deleted without prior intimation and asked for an examination of records from the 2014 parliamentary and assembly elections.
The four-storey building, built in 1934, has garment shops and commercial offices on the first two floors, besides residences.
