Bengaluru, Oct 1 — Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday staged a dharna at the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Bengaluru, demanding the registration of a criminal case and a probe into the alleged conspiracy to delete eligible voters' names through Form 7 applications.
Shivakumar, accompanied by several Cabinet colleagues and legislators, visited the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Gandhinagar and submitted a memorandum seeking action.
He subsequently staged a protest on the steps of the office and said the agitation would continue until a criminal case was registered and a serious investigation ordered.
Ministers K.J. George, K.H. Muniyappa, Ramalinga Reddy, Satish Jarkiholi, B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan, Basavaraj Rayareddy, Byrathi Suresh, Shivaraj Tangadagi, Vijayanand Kashappanavar, K.N. Balakrishna, Rizwan Arshad, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, Ajay Singh, Shivalingegowda, Puttarangashetty and T. Raghumurthy were among those present.
MP G.C. Chandrashekar and MLAs Konareddy, Kampli Ganesh, Bharath Reddy and others also participated in the protest.
Speaking to the media before the dharna, Shivakumar said the Election Commission was a constitutional body and that the government respected its authority.
“We have explained the irregularities taking place in the state. They have seen the evidence with their own eyes,” he alleged, adding that BJP leaders had admitted their involvement and had requested that no action be taken against them and that the applications submitted by them be returned.
Shivakumar claimed that around 13,000 Form 7 applications had been submitted in two Assembly constituencies in Ballari and were subsequently withdrawn.
He also alleged that around 13,000 applications had been submitted in Vijayapura, excluding the Babaleshwar constituency, and later withdrawn with requests that no action be taken.
“We have submitted documents and videos relating to Mysuru, Belagavi and Bhalki constituencies,” he said, adding that officials had contacted senior authorities and sought time until Friday.
The Chief Minister said the Election Commission had sought a report from the respective Deputy Commissioner.
“If they do not trust the evidence we have submitted, let them call for the report. Our struggle will not stop until a serious investigation is ordered,” he said.
Alleging an attempt to deprive voters of their franchise, Shivakumar said those behind the alleged irregularities had committed a serious offence against the democratic process.
“They have attempted to steal the voting rights of electors. This is vote theft,” he alleged.
He further alleged that attempts had been made to delete voters’ names on a large scale in constituencies represented by ministers.
“A Cabinet meeting was scheduled today for other matters. However, protecting the voting rights of the state’s voters is more important than anything else. This responsibility rests on me,” he added.
Shivakumar said the state government had fully cooperated with the Election Commission during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.
“Yet, such a conspiracy has been carried out by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal,” he alleged.
Referring to the earlier controversy involving the Chilume organisation, Shivakumar said similar irregularities were now being alleged in connection with Form 7 applications.
He further alleged that a larger network was behind the irregularities and claimed that voter data, including EPIC numbers, had been accessed.
“We ourselves do not know the EPIC numbers of our family members, but these people have all the information through the EPIC numbers. A conspiracy was hatched to delete 10,000 to 20,000 votes across all 224 constituencies,” he alleged.
Shivakumar said the issue had attracted attention across the country and reiterated that the protest would continue until the Election Commission initiated action.