Bengaluru, Oct 6 (IANS) Karnataka Forest Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Tuesday called for a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe and the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the alleged misuse of Form-7 applications during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the state.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, Reddy said the alleged misuse of Form-7 was not limited to a single constituency or Bengaluru and warranted a comprehensive investigation.
He said the Karnataka CID should investigate the matter and added that a new SIT should be constituted as the issue allegedly extended across the state.
The Minister also alleged that there was a conspiracy to remove names from electoral rolls.
The demand comes amid an ongoing political confrontation between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over allegations of misuse of Form-7, which is used to seek the deletion of names from electoral rolls.
So far, three FIRs have been registered at the Vyalikaval, Yeshwanthpur and Jayanagar police stations based on complaints filed by Congress leaders.
In the latest case, an FIR was registered at Yeshwanthpur Police Station based on a complaint by Congress leader Anoop Iyengar against BJP Booth Level Agent (BLA) Deepak Singh.
The complaint pertains to Form-7 applications submitted in Ward No. 76 of the Malleshwaram Assembly constituency, allegedly claiming that voters were absent despite residing at the addresses mentioned.
At Jayanagar, an FIR was registered against BJP workers Yogesh and Ramakrishna based on a complaint filed by KPCC Mahila Congress President and former Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy.
The complaint alleged that Form-7 applications had been submitted seeking the deletion of 5,698 voters on the ground that they had permanently shifted from the constituency.
Sowmya Reddy is the daughter of Minister Ramalinga Reddy.
However, Jayanagar BJP MLA C.K. Ramamurthy criticised the registration of FIRs and questioned the legal basis for police action in the matter.
He argued that complaints related to Form-7 applications should be submitted before election authorities and the Election Commission rather than the police.
Ramamurthy said BJP workers had earlier raised concerns regarding duplicate entries in the electoral rolls and claimed that 7,650 duplicate entries existed in the Jayanagar constituency.
He said complaints had been filed seeking correction of duplicate and deceased voters’ entries and questioned why requesting the removal of alleged fake votes should attract criminal proceedings.
Ramamurthy further alleged that the FIRs against BJP workers were unlawful and said he would challenge them through legal and political means.
Notably, BJP candidate C.K. Ramamurthy had defeated Congress candidate Sowmya Reddy by a narrow margin of 16 votes in the Jayanagar Assembly constituency.
Meanwhile, the Congress has alleged that Form-7 applications were being misused to target voters belonging to a particular community and has demanded action against those allegedly submitting false applications.
–IANS
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