BENGALURU: Senior BJP MLA and former minister S Suresh Kumar has written to the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka seeking clarification on the different voting procedures followed in the recent Rajya Sabha and Karnataka Legislative Council elections.
In his letter, Suresh Kumar pointed out that MLAs were the electorate for both the elections, which were scheduled on the same day. While voting was not required for the Rajya Sabha polls as all candidates were elected unopposed, polling was conducted for the Council elections owing to the presence of more candidates than available seats.
Suresh Kumar noted that in Rajya Sabha elections, MLAs are required to show their marked ballot papers to the authorised party agent before casting their votes and the procedure is followed strictly. He, however, alleged that a similar practice was not followed during the MLC polls, despite the voters being the same in both cases.
Questioning the rationale behind the differing procedures, Suresh Kumar sought an explanation from the election authorities. He said the contrasting methods adopted in the two elections had created confusion and raised questions about the intent behind the respective rules.
Senior leader urged the Chief Electoral Officer to provide a clear clarification on the issue, stressing that transparency and consistency in the electoral process are essential.