Vijayendra seeks EC scrutiny of alleged illegal voter additions in Karnataka

Bengaluru, Oct 1: Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra on Thursday urged the Election Commission to scrutinise alleged illegal additions to electoral rolls in the state, saying political workers had the right to approach the poll panel seeking deletion of ineligible names.

Addressing a press conference at Bangarapet, Vijayendra said BJP workers and members of other political parties had brought alleged irregularities in voter lists in several Assembly constituencies to their notice during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

“There is nothing wrong in approaching the Election Commission and requesting it to delete names that have allegedly been added illegally. If the name is genuine, the Election Commission will retain it, and if it is illegal, it should be removed,” he said.

Vijayendra alleged that during the SIR process, there were instances of people being brought together at mosques and other places for the addition of names to electoral rolls. He also claimed that complaints had been received about the inclusion of Bangladeshi nationals as voters.

“These issues have been brought to the notice of the Election Commission. What is wrong in asking the poll panel to verify such names?” he asked.

The BJP state president said the Election Commission should independently verify the complaints and take action wherever irregularities were established. He added that the BJP had information about alleged irregularities in voter lists in several Assembly constituencies and that party workers were approaching the poll panel with details.

Vijayendra also accused the Congress government of attempting to divert attention from the issue and said the BJP would continue to raise concerns relating to electoral rolls.

Questioning the Congress over its objections to the deletion of names from electoral rolls, he said similar concern should have been shown when allegedly ineligible persons were added to the voter lists.

He further alleged that the Congress was raising objections to the issue because it was unable to check Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity.

Vijayendra’s remarks came amid a politically contentious electoral-roll revision process in Karnataka, with political parties and other groups making competing claims over alleged wrongful additions and deletions of names.