BJP seeks countermanding of Bengaluru seat poll over 'fake' voter IDs

The state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar, addressing the reporters on late Tuesday night, said 9,746 voter cards were seized from a flat in the constituency.

Photo: PTI/File

Bengaluru: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday urged the Election Commission to countermand the Assembly election in the Rajarajeshwari Nagar segment of the city's southwest suburb after about 10,000 allegedly fake voter IDs were allegedly found in the locality. "The BJP demands countermanding of elections in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in light of latest revelations of tens of thousands of fake voter IDs and empty packets of hard currency. This is Congress conspiracy to rig election in the face of their imminent defeat," tweeted Union Human Resource Minister and the party's in-charge for state polls Prakash Javadekar. The state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar, addressing the reporters on late Tuesday night, said 9,746 voter cards were seized from a flat in the constituency. "After a surprise visit was paid to a flat in Jalahalli locality (in the Rajarajeshwari constituency) nearly 9,746 voter ID cards were found. Five laptops and one printer was also found in the flat," Kumar said. There were over a lakh slips resembling acknowledgement slips used for adding names into the electoral rolls, the CEO said. "On preliminary verification, these voter ID cards were found to be genuine, but the counterfoils need to be verified through investigation." The EC will register a First Information Report (FIR) on the matter and would take action after investigation, Kumar added. The Assembly election across 223 constituencies of the state will be held on May 12. Of the 225-member lower house, including one nominated, election in the Jayanagar seat in south Bangalore has been countermanded and postponed owing to the death of BJP candidate B.N. Vijaya Kumar on May 4. Votes will be counted on May 15.