The BJP in Bengaluru has written to the state’s Chief Electoral Officer alleging that officials responsible for maintaining electoral rolls have deliberately deleted eligible voters en masse to favour the ruling Congress-JD(S). The BJP has alleged that the deleted voters are mostly voters of the BJP.
In its complaint, the BJP has demanded that the list of voters be updated to include eligible voters who missed out and re-polls be conducted so that they are given tender ballot papers to cast their votes. “The ruling party has influenced power and manipulative its action to see that the people belong to the educated class, the learned members in the society, who are voters of BJP are not allowed to vote. This is a severe blow by the coalition government to the innocent voters,” the BJP has said in its complaint to the Election Commission.
Speaking on the issue on Friday, senior BJP leader R Ashoka said the party is also exploring a legal recourse.
“More than two lakh names have been deleted in Bengaluru comprising three parliamentary constituencies. It is a conspiracy by a section of top BBMP officials who were involved in electoral rolls revision. Names were deleted without any reason,” he told reporters.
On Thursday, when 14 constituencies in Karnataka went to polls, it was reported that many voters in Bengaluru found their names missing from the electoral rolls, even in booths they have been voting for many years. The BJP has listed the polling booths and the number of the purported deleted voters in seven wards, calling it the 'tip of the iceberg'.
In its complaint written on Thursday, the party said, “The officials have purposefully and deliberately have deleted without any reason just to render undue official favour of the ruling coalition party. Though the voters are very much residing in the very same address, purposefully their names have been deleted. This racket has curtailed the several voters their fundamental right to exercise the vote. This is nothing but the dereliction of duty by the concerned officials.”
It added, “If strict action is not taken against such biased officials, we can't expect fair and free election from this election commission. We wonder how such illegality has occurred openly / randomly in the elections. The ruling party has influenced power and manipulative its action to see that the people belong to the educated class, the learned members in the society who are voters of BJP are not allowed to vote.”
The party further alleged that the lack of action by Election Commission on similar issues highlighted during the Assembly polls in May 2018, has enabled them to openly support Congress.
“Had the Election Commission taken stringent action at the inception, the officials would not have dared to take up such illegality. Therefore, the officials who have openly supported the Congress party by deleting the BJP voters are not entitled to be in service and not deserved to be continued as public servants. No leniency should be shown to such erring and biased officials,” the complaint added.
Based on the BJP's complaint, CEO Sanjeev Kumar has asked BBMP Commissioner, who is the District Election Officer, to probe the matter.
