BJP leader files plaint over irregularities in Jayanagar voters list

Ramesh alleged that more than 9,000 voters were illegally added to the voters’ list in the past nine months in just three wards of the Jayanagar assembly constituency and that more than 50% of these are outsiders.

“From April 1, 2022, to January 31, 2023, a total of 9,153 voters have been added in 3 wards, namely Gurappanapalya (ward number 171), Jayanagar East (ward number 170), and Bhairasandra (ward number 169),” Ramesh said in the letter to the officer.

“Among these voters, more than 50% are outsiders. These people are from outside the Bengaluru district, and some are from Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, and Hosur of Tamil Nadu, belonging to a minority community. These people have been added given the Assembly elections due in the state,” he said.

The BJP leader alleged that revenue officials illegally added these voters by taking money. “Officials in the revenue department and data entry operators are involved in this illegal activity. All these officials are involved in such anti-democratic and illegal activity by taking lakhs of rupees for each fake voter registration from local elected representatives of a national party,” Ramesh said.

“Therefore, I request that verification of all 9,153 voters in the voter list given along with this complaint be carried out by efficient officials. I request that appropriate action be taken to remove non-local voters from the voter list and immediate disciplinary action be taken against all officers/employees involved in this illegal act,” the BJP leader further said.

Last week, Karnataka Congress said it would file a complaint with the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the alleged selective deletion of voter names from various constituencies in the state.

Shivajinagar Congress MLA Rizwan Arshad said that nearly 8,000 names of Muslim and Christian voters are being deleted in his constituency.

In a written petition to the chief electoral officer, Arshad had sought action to “prevent this assault on democracy”. Congress MLA Priyank Kharge alleged that 6,000 voter names were also deleted in the Aland constituency.

Electoral rolls of Shivajinagar, Mahadevapura, and Chickpet constituencies were under investigation after it was found that personnel from Chilume Trust, a nonprofit organization, impersonated poll officials to collect private information of voters.

The Chilume Educational, Cultural and Rural Development Trust had earlier conducted a survey facilitated by a BBMP order which permitted it to go door-to-door and “spread awareness” on how to apply for a Voters ID online.

It was found that the NGO members posed as government officials and obtained private information – from caste to marital status – from the public. This triggered a major political slugfest in the poll-bound state.

In this light, BBMP commissioner Tushar Girinath had passed an order which blacklisted the trust and forbade it from participating in any citizen awareness programs organized by it. Other firms run by Chilume’s heads were also blacklisted.