Karnataka to probe electoral fraud, Form 7 misuse: Shivakumar

Karnataka CM D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday said the state government would launch a police investigation into alleged electoral fraud and misuse of Form 7 applications, accusing the BJP of orchestrating attempts to manipulate voter rolls.

Addressing the INDIA bloc's "Stop Electoral Fraud, Save the Nation" protest at Freedom Park, Shivakumar said the government was committed to protecting voting rights and would take action against those involved in alleged irregularities. "CCTV footage shows who assisted in electoral fraud and who brought in the applications. We will register cases and ensure justice is served," he said.

The CM alleged that the BJP had committed "vote theft" and said those responsible must face legal consequences. "The right to vote is a fundamental democratic right. We have gathered here to protect that right," he said.


Recalling the Chilume voter-data controversy in Bengaluru, Shivakumar said Congress had earlier fought attempts to delete voter names through alleged irregular practices. He claimed efforts were made to remove lakhs of votes and enrol new voters through unlawful means, but said Congress leaders had intervened by approaching the Election Commission.

He also accused the BJP of using the Election Commission to undermine voting rights in several states, including Karnataka, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Haryana and Tamil Nadu.

Shivakumar described the treatment of Congress workers and youth leaders during recent protests in Delhi as "shameful" and alleged that opposition leaders were denied an opportunity to meet Election Commission officials. He said leaders of the INDIA alliance, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, were raising their voices to protect voters' rights.

Citing a survey conducted by a team led by actor Prakash Raj and activist Noor Sridhar, Shivakumar alleged that several irregularities had been detected across constituencies in Karnataka. He claimed pre-filled Form 7 applications containing voter details were distributed through BJP networks to facilitate deletion of voter names, particularly among Scheduled Tribes, backward classes and minority communities.

According to the CM, attempts were made to remove thousands of names from electoral rolls in constituencies including Kalaburagi, Vijayapura and parts of Bengaluru. He said party workers alerted Congress leaders to the alleged malpractice, helping prevent large-scale deletions.

Shivakumar said he and his Cabinet colleagues had previously protested at the Election Commission's office over the alleged misuse of Form 7 applications and demanded action to protect voters' rights. He claimed the Commission subsequently directed officials not to act on such applications and initiated action over their misuse.

Calling electoral fraud an attack on democracy, the CM alleged that large numbers of voters had been removed from electoral rolls across several states. "Taking away people's right to vote is the murder of democracy," he said.

Commenting on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Shivakumar reiterated the Congress government's opposition to the manner in which the exercise was being carried out. He demanded restoration of all eligible voters whose names had been deleted, except in cases involving deceased persons.

"Our struggle against the SIR process will continue until every eligible voter who has been wrongly removed from the electoral rolls receives justice," he said, adding that there was no question of backing down until the party's demands were met.