Karnataka State BJP files complaint with Election Commission over irregularities in voter verification
BENGALURU: Escalating its attack on the Congress government over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on July 6 submitted what it described as documentary proof of large-scale procedural violations to the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer and demanded a fresh enumeration in areas where alleged irregularities have been reported. The delegation, comprising senior BJP and JD(S) leaders, alleged that the voter verification exercise was being manipulated through political interference and violations of Election Commission guidelines.
The NDA delegation, led by Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and H.D. Kumaraswamy, met Chief Electoral Officer V. Anbukkumar and submitted a memorandum along with a pen drive containing videos, photographs and other material that they claimed substantiated their allegations. According to the leaders, the evidence documents instances where Booth Level Officers (BLOs) allegedly failed to conduct mandatory house-to-house verification and instead distributed enumeration forms at common locations.
Speaking after the meeting, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi alleged that the state government was attempting to “uproot the electoral system” by influencing the SIR process.
“Today all NDA partners submitted a complaint before the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer. We have also handed over documentary evidence in the form of a pen drive showing how the SIR process is allegedly being manipulated. Instead of following Election Commission guidelines, enumeration is being conducted at madrasas, mosques, residences of Congress elected representatives and community leaders. This is not the prescribed procedure,” Joshi alleged.
Joshi claimed that the evidence submitted to the Election Commission included videos of WhatsApp messages allegedly directing voters to assemble at designated locations instead of receiving visits from Booth Level Officers. He also alleged that in some places BLO identity cards carried photographs of legislators, raising questions over the neutrality of the exercise.
He said BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and JD(S) leader Nikhil Kumaraswamy had previously lodged similar complaints, but the alleged irregularities continued despite those representations.
Demanding immediate corrective measures, Joshi urged the Election Commission to either order a fresh enumeration in the affected polling stations or completely restart the exercise wherever violations were found.
“The purpose of SIR is defeated if officials do not physically visit every household. During verification, if officers fail to inspect houses personally, there is no way of determining whether the person enrolled is genuinely eligible. We have suggested that the Commission either conduct fresh enumeration in affected areas or restart the process entirely,” he said.
The Union Minister also alleged that selective implementation of the exercise in certain booths created opportunities for manipulation of electoral rolls and questioned whether proper verification was taking place before names were added or retained.
Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy echoed the concerns and said the NDA had furnished sufficient evidence to warrant an independent inquiry by the Election Commission.
“We have submitted documentary proof regarding the alleged violations. The Election Commission is an independent constitutional body, and we are confident it will examine the evidence objectively. If necessary, all NDA partners will jointly approach the Election Commission of India in New Delhi,” Kumaraswamy said.
He alleged that the state government had encouraged irregular implementation of the SIR exercise from the very beginning and accused it of misusing officials for political purposes. Kumaraswamy also referred to media reports highlighting alleged deviations from the prescribed verification process and said those issues had now been formally brought to the notice of the Election Commission.
The allegations come days after the Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer directed all Booth Level Officers to strictly follow Election Commission guidelines by conducting door-to-door distribution of enumeration forms after complaints that some officials were distributing forms from offices, community halls and other common locations instead of visiting individual households.
The Congress government has rejected allegations of interference in the electoral revision process, maintaining that the Special Intensive Revision is being carried out under the supervision of the Election Commission. Meanwhile, the NDA has urged the poll panel to investigate the evidence it has submitted and ensure that the voter verification exercise is conducted strictly in accordance with Election Commission norms.
