Bengaluru, 4 October

An FIR has been registered at Bengaluru’s Vyalikaval Police Station here following a complaint alleging that 778 “false” Form-7 applications were submitted during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The complaint, filed by Congress leader Anoop Iyengar, alleges irregularities in Ward 64 of the Malleshwaram Assembly constituency. Booth agent Vasantha Lakshmi has been named in the FIR, though her political affiliation was not mentioned.

The complaint alleges that Form-7 applications were filed claiming voters were either absent from their residences or had permanently shifted, despite them continuing to live in the constituency. It further alleges that people linked to the BJP and RSS targeted voters from a particular community and misused the Form-7 process. Police are investigating.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Dr Ravi Patil appeared before Belagavi Market Police on Friday for questioning over allegations linked to Form-7 applications. An FIR in the case alleges that Patil and 20-25 others attempted to remove 198 minority-community voters from the electoral roll using applications containing false information and forged documents.

Patil denied the allegations, saying he had submitted a list of “suspicious voters” through Form-7 only to have their details verified.

“I did nothing wrong. I cooperated with the police,” he said, adding that the objective was to raise objections, not delete voters belonging to any particular community.

Yatnal vs voters

In Vijayapura, eight voters approached the Deputy Commissioner’s office after expelled BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal claimed on September 30 that names of people who were missing or had died figured in the electoral rolls.

One complainant, Razia Mehrunnisa Sheikh, said she was alive and living at her Ward 22 address but had been shown as dead, with several other details also incorrect. Another complainant demanded an FIR against those responsible, citing his Aadhaar and voter ID as proof.

Yatnal stood by his allegations, saying it was not his responsibility to prove that the voters were alive. He claimed that voters with identical names were registered at multiple locations and said the SIR was meant to verify such discrepancies.