BJP defends voter-list objections amid Karnataka political dispute

Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra has defended his party’s submission of Form-7 applications challenging entries on the draft voter list, saying the BJP had the right to flag voters it suspected had been added illegally. Vijayendra said the Election Commission of India would verify the applications and reject any found to be false.

He denied that submitting the objections was improper and said BJP leaders would not be deterred by first information reports. He alleged that Muslim voters had initially been gathered at mosques and marriage halls while officials were called to those locations, and claimed there was a suspicion that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants had entered voter rolls in some constituencies. The supplied report did not independently verify those claims.

R. Ashok, the Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka’s Legislative Assembly, accused the Congress of trying to pressure the Election Commission and defend people who vote in multiple places. He also alleged that large numbers of Pakistanis and Bangladeshis should be sent back, without supporting figures or evidence in the report.

Ashok criticised the Chief Minister for holding a protest during a drought, while Union Minister Pralhad Joshi described the demonstration as a diversion from issues facing the State. The source material did not identify the specific protest or include the Chief Minister’s response. JD(S) leader and Union Minister H.D.

Kumaraswamy also attacked Congress over its campaign against the revision exercise. He alleged that Congress leaders had earlier organised gatherings connected with electoral-roll revision and were now objecting to a process they had participated in. The dispute centres on the use of Form-7 objections and the wider revision of voter lists.

The Election Commission’s verification process, rather than the parties’ allegations, will determine whether individual applications are valid, according to Vijayendra’s account.