BJP misused Form 7: Shivakumar says voter deletion part of big criminal conspiracy

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar has alleged a “criminal conspiracy” to delete eligible voters from electoral rolls after an India Today report on claims that eight members of a Muslim family in Bengaluru were targeted because of their religion.The family of 32 in Ulsoor accused a local BJP leader of filing applications seeking the deletion of eight members’ names from the rolls.Speaking to India Today TV’s Sagay Raj, Shivakumar alleged that BJP workers are misusing Form 7, which is used to object to a voter’s inclusion or seek deletion from electoral rolls.“The misuse of Form 7 by BJP workers has been exposed. Before going to the Election Commission office, I conducted a thorough investigation through my political team, personal team and official team,” he said. ‘CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY’ TO TARGET VOTERSShivakumar alleged that minorities, backward castes and oppressed sections are being targeted, describing them as traditional Congress voters.He claimed that lakhs of forms had been printed and distributed to political workers to collect signatures. Some people signed between 100 and 300 forms without knowing the voters named in them or understanding their purpose, he alleged. In some cases, the voters were outside the signatories’ Assembly constituencies, he added.Shivakumar said several FIRs have been registered and called on election officials to scrutinise the applications and act against anyone found to have misused the process.“Action has to be taken against those who are trying to misuse the process. There is a big criminal conspiracy,” he alleged, describing it as “the nation’s biggest scam of this kind”.On the BJP’s proposed meeting with the Election Commission, he said the party is free to approach the poll body and that the law will take its course.‘RIGHT TO VOTE IS LIKE RIGHT TO LIVE’Asked about allegations that living voters in Vijayapura and Belagavi had been declared dead, Shivakumar said the priority is to protect voting rights.“I don’t want to take credit. This is the credit of the voter. Your right to vote is like your right to live,” he said.He called for revised rolls to be checked against earlier lists, line by line, and said completing the exercise within a month would be difficult.The government is helping voters obtain documents needed for registration, he added.“The Election Commission has already instructed that names should be deleted only after a thorough inquiry. As Chief Minister, it is my bounden duty to protect the rights of all voters,” he said.Shivakumar said he will brief Cabinet colleagues and party workers on the Commission’s instruction that names must not be deleted without proper verification and documentation.SHIVAKUMAR LEADS PROTEST OVER SIRHis interview comes as he spearheads protests against alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka.On Thursday, Shivakumar put a Cabinet meeting on hold and led ministers and Congress MLAs in a sit-in at Chief Electoral Officer V Anbukkumar’s office, demanding an inquiry and an FIR over alleged bulk Form 7 filings.The protest lasted about five hours and ended after Anbukkumar ordered action against applicants found to have knowingly submitted false information in electoral forms.In a memorandum to the CEO, Shivakumar flagged thousands of deletion applications, including 6,259 in Mudigere, around 3,000 in Belagavi North and 2,285 in Bhalki.He also alleged that voters’ names and identification details had been pre-printed on some forms, with the objectors’ particulars filled in later.He sought a constituency-wise and booth-wise probe to establish who filed the applications and where the voter details came from.- Ends