Karnataka chief minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday called for a criminal investigation into what he described as a coordinated effort to remove voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), accusing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers of submitting applications targeting minorities, Dalits and Scheduled Tribes.
“There are many instances of individuals filing multiple applications in different names for deleting voters. Minorities, Dalits and tribals are being targeted to remove their names from the electoral roll under SIR,” Shivakumar said.
He said applications were submitted seeking the deletion of 4.5 million voters. He added that 14,000 such applications were filed in Vijayapura alone. He alleged that the bulk applications were filed between September 22 and 24 and those submitting them on behalf of other people were BJP workers.
Deep Dive
What allegations did Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar make regarding voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision?
Why did Shivakumar call for a criminal investigation into the voter deletion incidents in Karnataka?
How did the Special Intensive Revision affect the electoral roll in Karnataka, according to the civil society audit?
Shivakumar said cases had been registered in Belagavi, Bhalki, Mysuru and other places over what he called illegal attempts to remove names from the electoral roll. He called it the BJP and ally Janata Dal (Secular)’s big conspiracy to delete five to six million voters. “BJP has printed large numbers of Form 7 to exclude votes,” he said.
In a letter to the state Chief Electoral Officer, he said no eligible citizen, irrespective of religion, caste, community or social background, should be deprived of the right to remain on the electoral roll.
{{/usCountry}}In a letter to the state Chief Electoral Officer, he said no eligible citizen, irrespective of religion, caste, community or social background, should be deprived of the right to remain on the electoral roll.
{{/usCountry}}Shivakumar said in several cases, the names, Electors Photo Identity Card numbers and other particulars of the voters proposed for deletion appear to have been pre-printed on the Form 7 applications. He added that the details of objectors were subsequently filled.
The letter referred to BJP leaders publicly acknowledging that Form 7 applications were filed in large numbers through their associates. “The video recordings of these statements have been widely circulated across the state and are enclosed for reference and investigation,” the letter said.
Shivakumar called on Congress booth-level agents, legislators, party workers and voters to provide information about Form 7 applications allegedly filed to remove their own names or those of others. “If this is happening in the constituencies of our lawmakers, it indicates that a major conspiracy is taking place across the state,” he alleged. “As your chief minister, as a public servant, I’m trying to protect your votes, but I feel I have failed. I have to accept this.”
There was no immediate response to HT’s request for a comment from the chief electoral officer.
Shivakumar wrote the letter a day after the Opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) on Wednesday revived its demand to replace electronic voting machines (EVMs) with paper ballots and announced a six-point programme, including public rallies and a petition to the President, against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar for allegedly manipulating voter rolls during the SIR to subvert electoral integrity. It alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah were treating the Election Commission of India (ECI) as their puppets.
The ECI has faced renewed scrutiny over the SIR across states. The Indian Express last week reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi recorded objections to decisions taken in the ECI’s name at least 14 times over 10 months. The reported disagreements involved changes to Form 6 for the inclusion of names in the electoral roll, the centralisation of controls in Delhi, voter deletion appeals in West Bengal, and the failure to add eligible voters in Goa.
HT reported about complaints over bulk Form 7 applications in Karnataka, particularly in Bhalki.
The cases Shivakumar cited include a case in Mysuru’s Narasimharaja constituency involving social worker and former Mysuru City Corporation member Syed Hasarathulla. A booth-level officer contacted Hasarathulla on September 24 after a Form 7 objection was filed against him and his family. The application alleged that Hasarathulla and 28 other voters did not live at their registered address.
Hasarathulla, who said he had lived and voted at the address for 39 years, filed a police complaint alleging that the forms contained false information “with the malicious intent of deleting the votes of myself, my family, and other people belonging to our community of the Muslim religion during the SIR process”.
In Belagavi North, Meerasab Abdul Mahmad Sanadi, a Congress booth-level agent, alleged that applications were filed to remove Muslim voters from the electoral roll and create hostility between communities.
Mohd Ateeq Ahmed, a businessman and nominated member of the Bhalki City Municipal Council, filed a complaint after 3,244 Form 7 applications were submitted between September 21 and 23.
The applications allegedly described eligible poor, minority and illiterate voters as “shifted” or “absent”. Ahmed said that when he approached the electoral registration officer on September 27, he was informed that notices had been issued following the bulk filings, but none of the listed objectors had appeared for the hearings.