BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday said that after their protest on Thursday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) issued directives to the Chief Electoral Officers (CEO) to conduct a special drive after the SIR is completed to verify the details of all those deleted during the revision and include the names of eligible voters. It is a victory for the voting rights of citizens across the country, the Chief Minister said.
Speaking to media persons in Bengaluru, the CM said that the EC issued the order on Thursday night after they (CM and ministers) staged a protest at the CEO’s office in Bengaluru. “We welcome this order. It is a victory against the conspiracy to deprive eligible voters of their rights. The Congress has consistently fought to protect voters’ rights, and this struggle will continue,” Shivakumar said.
The CM said that as a result of the protest, the ECI has issued instructions to the CEOs of all states. They have also ordered that attention be paid to complaints regarding the mass deletion of names from the electoral rolls, he added.
The CM alleged that the BJP has submitted applications to delete the votes of vulnerable sections of society. “They are doing this to create a rift among the various communities, castes, and religions in the society. Their objective is to get the votes of Dalits and minorities removed. Such people are unfit to be in politics,” the Chief Minister said.
He said the BJP leaders admitted to submitting around 25,000 applications and the Election Commission should immediately register a complaint against the BJP at the national level. They have resorted to the criminal act of getting votes deleted, Shivakumar alleged.
“After I got to know about the irregularity, I appointed a special team. ‘Citizens’ Forum’ and various activists toured the entire state, gathered data, and submitted a report. I also verified this information through my own sources. I am a grassroots politician,” the CM said.
When asked about the BJP leaders’ demand that he either produce evidence regarding the alleged conspiracy to delete 50 lakh votes or resign, the CM said let BJP leaders demand his resignation, but they should speak about the fact that they have admitted to submitting 25,000 applications. The CM alleged that said BJP leaders R Ashoka and BY Vijayendra admitted to vote theft and it is a confession of a criminal conspiracy. The police should arrest them, he said.
On BJP leaders’ demand that a case be registered against ministers regarding the protests held near the CEO’s office, the CM said if they have violated the law, let them register a case.
The CM said they submitted a petition to the Election Commissioner and sat there until the task was accomplished. “Am I to be held responsible if the media labelled it a protest?” he asked.
Why didn’t the police take action, asks Union Minister Pralhad Joshi
Slamming Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and his cabinet colleagues for holding a dharna in front of the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, without prior permission, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi has asked the State police chief to file an FIR against them, warning that, failing to act, the BJP will stage a protest before the DG’s office without securing any permission. He further charged that the protest was “just an attempt to satisfy the ego of fake Gandhis”.
Speaking to reporters in Hubballi on Friday, Joshi said that, apart from former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Shivakumar was the only other leader to have cancelled a cabinet meeting to focus on another issue. “This move of the government is a dark chapter in the history of Karnataka,” Joshi, who represents Dharwad in Lok Sabha, said.
Joshi said that there is a court ruling that any kind of protest in Bengaluru should be confined to Freedom Park. “Then how did the CM defy this order. Why did the police not act?” Joshi asked.
On the controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Joshi said the law prescribed procedures for voter registration and deletion, which were available online. He alleged that the “drama” staged by the State Government in front of the CEO’s office was to create confusion among the public and an attempt by Shivakumar to satisfy Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Vadra to continue as CM.
Joshi said voter registration is undertaken during every election cycle and that digital copies of electoral rolls are made available in public. He referred to Form-7, which is used for raising objections to names in electoral rolls, and said the prescribed process involves scrutiny by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), tahsildars, deputy commissioners and other officials.
According to Joshi, applications submitted through Form-7 are uploaded through the relevant system and are subject to verification, alleging that applications found to be incorrect could be rejected or sent for further verification by higher authorities. He also rejected allegations of manipulation or misuse of electoral software, saying the system had been decentralised. He described allegations against BLOs and other election officials as “bogus” and said the State Government’s handling of the issue was condemnable.
Making serious allegations against the Congress, the Union minister charged that the party was attempting to bring in foreign nationals as voters, saying there was no constitutional provision for such a practice.
Meanwhile, the Union minister defended the Centre’s policies on ethanol procurement, saying ethanol was being purchased from sugarcane-producing states, including Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. According to Joshi, Karnataka accounts for a significant share of the ethanol purchased by the Union Government.
He said the government had prioritised ethanol procurement and payments and referred to the history of ethanol policy, including initiatives taken during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.