The DEO expressed concerns about the independence of his office, stating that such requests fall outside routine operations and could compromise the electoral process's integrity. He also noted that Chief Minister Atishi had summoned him to meetings without specified agendas, during which discussions about electoral rolls occurred. The DEO sought guidance on attending such meetings without prior agendas and requested enhanced security to prevent potential disruptions.
These allegations emerge amid AAP's claims of large-scale voter deletions in the New Delhi Assembly constituency. Chief Minister Atishi alleged a "voter scam," citing a significant surge in voter addition and deletion applications between December 15 and January 2. She claimed that approximately 10% of new voters were added, and 5.5% were deleted in a constituency with about 100,000 voters, potentially altering election outcomes.
Atishi further alleged that when the Election Commission summoned 84 objectors for a hearing, they denied filing any applications, suggesting fraudulent activities. She questioned the Election Commission's role, describing it as "suspicious" for not investigating the matter and stated that she had written to the Chief Election Commissioner seeking a meeting to address these concerns.
In response to the DEO's allegations, the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) wrote to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), requesting security measures at the DEO's office to maintain law and order. The ADM cited incidents of "ruckus and intimidation," creating tension and disrupting the DEO's duties, and expressed concerns about potential breaches of peace and coercion of election officials.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has seized upon the DEO's letter to criticize AAP. BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya shared the DEO's letter on social media, accusing AAP of fraud and asserting that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's administration is attempting to manipulate the electoral process.