Bengaluru: Karnataka deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday alleged that a large-scale attempt was underway to delete names from electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with multiple Form 7 applications allegedly being filed for the same purpose.
Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Shivakumar described the SIR exercise as a “big fraud” and alleged that minority, Dalit and Scheduled Tribe voters were being targeted. He also alleged that BJP workers, rather than authorised booth-level agents, were filing Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voters’ names.
Shivakumar claimed that around 45 lakh applications had been submitted for deletion of names across the state. He further alleged that around 14,000 applications seeking deletion of voters had been submitted in Vijayapura alone.
According to the deputy chief minister, a large number of Form 7 applications were filed between September 22 and 24. He alleged that similar complaints had emerged from several constituencies, including Bhalki and Mudigere.
He demanded a comprehensive inquiry, including a criminal investigation, into the alleged misuse of Form 7. He also urged the Election Commission to register FIRs in cases involving alleged electoral irregularities.
Shivakumar said the scale of the alleged deletions could not have gone unnoticed by senior election officials and questioned how such a large number of applications could be processed without adequate scrutiny.
“I will sit in the Chief Electoral Officer’s office until an inquiry is ordered,” he said, adding that he would return to the office even though a cabinet meeting was scheduled on Thursday.
The deputy chief minister alleged that there was an attempt by BJP and JD(S) workers to get the names of 50-60 lakh voters removed from electoral rolls. He also claimed that Form 7 applications were being printed and submitted on a large scale.
Shivakumar said several Congress leaders had submitted documents relating to alleged fraudulent applications in their constituencies. He called for the complaints to be examined within the legal framework and said the issue should not be confined to a few assembly constituencies.
The allegations come amid the ongoing SIR exercise in Karnataka and the wider political debate over electoral-roll revisions.
