Congress moves EC against Karnataka 'Voter data theft', 'Deletion of 27 lakh voters' from rolls

A Congress delegation has petitioned the Election Commission, demanding probe into the reported "voters' data theft" in poll-pound Karnataka and the alleged deletion of about 27 lakh voters from the electoral rolls. These two issues recently triggered a storm in the state.

After meeting the CEC and the ECs on Wednesday, AICC general secretary in-charge Randeep Surjewala and PCC chief DK Shivakumar said EC informed them that an FIR has been filed in the "voter data theft" case and that the EC would conduct a probe into the matter, sanitise the rolls and act against the culprits.

The delegation alleged Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai, who is also the minister in-charge of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), misused his position to make many officers of BBMP and the state government as well as an NGO, Chilume Educational & Rural Development Institute (Chilume), run by certain people linked to the ruling establishment, to conduct a voter awareness drive.


"Chilume, then committed a brazen fraud of collecting voter data by impersonating government officers of Karnataka. Chilume even went to the extent of issuing BLO cards...collected voter data in 29 assembly constituencies including sensitive and private information...Chilume uploaded this entire matrix of voter information on the private app - Digital Sameeksha," the petition stated.

Congress said Chilume was committing fraud "under the political patronage of the in-charge minister, the CM, Basavaraj Bommai; chief Commissioner of BBMP and other officers of BBMP and state government".