BJP BLAs Booked Over Alleged Fake Form-7 Filings to Delete 5,698 Voters in Bengaluru’s Jayanagar

BENGALURU, Oct 6 : Bengaluru Police have registered an FIR against two BJP Booth Level Agents (BLAs) and others for allegedly submitting fraudulent Form-7 applications seeking the deletion of 5,698 voters from the Jayanagar Assembly constituency, adding a fresh twist to the ongoing political battle over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka.

The FIR was registered at the Jayanagar police station on Monday night following a complaint filed by Karnataka Mahila Congress president Sowmya Reddy. She alleged that the accused deliberately targeted voters perceived to be unfavourable to the BJP.

According to the complaint, BJP BLAs Ramakrishna and Yogesh, along with others, allegedly submitted Form-7 applications between June 16 and October 5, falsely claiming that the voters had shifted from their registered addresses.

The complaint also alleged that the identity details of residents Ramesh and his wife Roopa were misused to file objections without their consent. Applications carrying allegedly forged signatures were reportedly submitted to Booth Level Officer Lokesh at Jayanagar 4th Block.

Police have booked the accused under Sections 61(2)(b), 217(b), 319(2), 336(2), 340(2), read with Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Investigation is underway.

The development comes days after Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, accompanied by six Cabinet colleagues, staged a protest outside the office of Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar on October 1, demanding immediate registration of FIRs and a time-bound criminal investigation into alleged bulk submission of fraudulent Form-7 objections during the SIR exercise.

The Congress government has alleged that attempts were being made on a large scale to delete genuine voters from the electoral rolls and has sought stringent action against those responsible.

Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, however, hit back at the government, describing the protest as a “political farce” and questioning why the Congress had remained silent when the NDA had earlier raised allegations of irregularities in the SIR process.

Kumaraswamy also alleged that the Chief Minister and his Cabinet colleagues had cancelled a Cabinet meeting to stage the protest and claimed that the issue was being used to divert public attention from other alleged irregularities in the State.

The registration of the FIR is likely to further intensify the confrontation between the Congress and BJP over the electoral-roll revision, with both parties accusing each other of attempting to manipulate the SIR process.