BJP Corporator, Civic Officials Booked in Ballari Over Bid to Delete 7,561 Voters
An FIR has been registered against a BJP corporator and officials of the Ballari City Corporation for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to delete names of voters from the electoral roll in the Bellary City constituency. The case was registered following a formal complaint lodged by a Congress Booth Level Assistant.
Those booked in the case include BJP Corporator Srinivas Motkar, Ballari City Corporation Assistant Commissioner Nandish, Booth Level Officer Sumalatha, and case worker Sharanabasava, alongside other individuals accused of involvement in the matter.
According to the complaint, Motkar submitted a representation to election officials on September 21 requesting the re-verification of 7,561 names that were published in the draft voter list on August 24. Election authorities rejected the representation, issuing an endorsement stating that the request was not supported by any valid documents or evidence.
However, on September 22, as many as 7,561 Form-7 applications were filed seeking the deletion of those names. The complaint stated that election officials illegally took up these Form-7 submissions to conduct a re-verification of the voters listed. The Congress alleged that out of the 7,561 names submitted for deletion, 98.08 per cent belonged to the minority community.
Similar cases of alleged voter deletion have surfaced elsewhere in Karnataka. In Bidar district, the Bhalki police have booked 32 persons on charges of hatching a conspiracy to delete names of eligible Muslim voters from the electoral roll. Mohammed Atheeq Ahmed lodged a complaint on Thursday, alleging that Form-7 filings had been submitted against 3,244 voters on the basis of false information.
In Mysuru, Narasimharaja constituency MLA Tanveer Sait alleged that at least 10,000 Form-7 applications seeking the deletion of names, largely of Muslim and Dalit voters, were filed by BJP workers at the behest of the RSS. Speaking to media persons on Friday, Sait alleged that these forms were printed in RSS offices and handed over to BJP workers.
Based on a separate complaint by a Muslim voter, an FIR has also been registered at the Narasimharaja police station in Mysuru against four individuals. They were booked for allegedly filing objections via Form-7 on August 23 and August 24 to seek the deletion of at least 92 Muslim voters from the voter list.
