Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A family in Bengaluru says eight of its members have been removed from the electoral rolls despite living at the same address for decades, while voters in Vijayapura claim they were marked dead even though they are alive and protesting for answers.
The allegations have emerged amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Karnataka, with affected voters demanding verification of disputed deletions and restoration of their names.
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EIGHT MEMBERS OF BENGALURU FAMILY ALLEGE VOTER DELETION
At Anand Nair Street in Bengaluru’s Ulsoor, a joint family of 32 voters says it has lived at the same address for more than 35 years.
The family owns two residential buildings in the area and says several generations were born and brought up there.
However, during the ongoing electoral roll revision, eight members of the family found that their names had been deleted from the voters’ list.
The reason cited for the deletions was “absent” or “permanently shifted”.
The family disputes this, saying none of the eight members has moved away from the address.
They also claim they have never enrolled as voters elsewhere and have voted from the same area, including during the 2002 elections.
According to the family, their names were deleted using Form 7, which is used to seek deletion of a name from an electoral roll.
They allege that the deletions took place without anyone verifying their residence or informing them beforehand.
The family approached the local Booth Level Officer (BLO) seeking an explanation.
They allege that the BLO told them that a person identified as Ravi, whom they claim is a BJP worker, had submitted Form 7 seeking deletion of their names.
The family members claim Ravi lives in the same neighbourhood and knows that they continue to reside at the address.
They have also alleged that they were targeted because they belong to a different community.
These allegations have not been independently established by India Today.
The family is now seeking verification of the disputed deletions and restoration of all eight names to the electoral rolls.
VIJAYAPURA VOTERS CLAIM THEY WERE MARKED DEAD
A separate controversy has emerged in Vijayapura, where voters who say they are alive staged a protest after allegedly finding that they had been recorded as dead during the SIR process.
The protesters gathered outside the Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner’s office on Friday and demanded answers over how their names could have been removed on the grounds that they were dead.
The protesters questioned how death certificates could have been issued in their names when they were physically present at the protest seeking an explanation.
They also demanded action against those responsible for the alleged deletions and against officials who they claimed had issued the death certificates.
The protesters later gheraoed Commissioner Vijay Mekkalki, demanding to know how living voters could have been recorded as dead.
Some protesters alleged that fake death certificates had been prepared to facilitate the deletion of voters’ names from the electoral rolls.
These claims have not been independently verified by India Today.
The protesters also raised allegations against MLA Basangouda Patil Yatnal and demanded action against those they held responsible.
CLAIM OF 1,046 LIVING VOTERS BEING TARGETED
The protesters further alleged that around 1,046 living voters from minority communities were being targeted for deletion across 198 polling booths in Vijayapura city.
The claim was made during the protest and has not been independently verified by India Today.
One of the affected voters questioned how a person who is alive and present could have their name removed from the electoral roll as dead.
The protest and dharna continued outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office, where the protesters submitted a memorandum seeking action against those responsible.
They also demanded restoration of the names of living voters allegedly removed from the electoral rolls.
The two cases raise different allegations surrounding voter deletions during Karnataka’s SIR process.
In Bengaluru, a joint family says eight members were recorded as “absent” or “permanently shifted” despite continuing to live at the same address.
In Vijayapura, protesters claim living voters were recorded as dead and removed from the electoral rolls.
The affected voters are now seeking answers, verification of the disputed entries and restoration of their names.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
