Ballari SIR row: BJP BLA-1, officials booked over voter deletion bid

An FIR has been registered against a Karnataka BJP BLA-1, a Ballari corporator and three election officials over an alleged attempt to seek deletion of 7,561 voter names during the SIR process. The complaint alleges disproportionate targeting of minority voters

Bengaluru: An FIR has been registered against a BJP Booth Level Agent-1 (BLA-1), a Ballari City Corporation corporator and three others on Monday over an alleged attempt to seek deletion of 7,561 names from the electoral roll of the Ballari City Assembly constituency during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.

The case has been registered against Srinivas Motkar, a Ballari City Corporation corporator and BJP BLA-1; Assistant Commissioner Nandeesh; Booth Level Officer (BLO) Sumalatha; and case worker Sharanabasava, based on a complaint filed by Gowtham, a Congress Booth Level Agent (BLA) for Ward No. 23, Booth No. 94.

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According to the complaint, the SIR process began on June 29, and the draft electoral roll was published on August 24, following which voters were given an opportunity to submit claims for inclusion of names and raise objections.

The complainant alleged that on September 21, Motkar accepted a petition seeking re-verification of the names of 7,561 voters in the Ballari City Corporation limits. The complaint claimed that election officials had earlier rejected the petition and issued an acknowledgement in this regard. Despite this, Motkar allegedly submitted Form-7 applications on September 22, seeking deletion of the names.

The complaint further alleged that the concerned election officials proceeded with the re-verification of the voters despite the objections and allegedly acted on Motkar’s directions.

As per the complaint, the SIR guidelines prescribe a maximum of 30 Form-7 applications that can be submitted by a single BLA. However, the complainant alleged that 7,561 applications submitted in connection with the voters were accepted and processed by the election authorities.

A key allegation in the complaint is that around 98.08 per cent of the 7,561 voters covered by the applications belonged to a minority community. The complainant alleged that the applications were submitted with the intention of getting the names of minority community members deleted from the electoral roll.

The complaint has also alleged collusion between Motkar and the election officials, including Assistant Commissioner Nandeesh, BLO Sumalatha and case worker Sharanabasava, in the submission and processing of the applications.

It further alleged that the accused provided false information to election authorities in an attempt to remove names from the electoral roll, thereby affecting the voting rights of eligible voters.

The complainant alleged that the actions were intended not only to remove names from the voters’ list but also to create divisions and hatred between communities and hurt the sentiments and electoral rights of voters.

The FIR has been registered based on the complaint, and further investigation is underway.