Electoral Rolls – Karandlaje Seeks ECI Action Over Karnataka Certificate Claims
Electoral Rolls – Voter list verification in Karnataka has drawn fresh political attention after Union Minister of State Shobha Karandlaje alleged that illegal birth and residence certificates were being issued through cyber centres during the Special Intensive Revision process.
Karandlaje made the allegations at a press conference held at the BJP state headquarters, Jagannath Bhavan, in Bengaluru on Friday. She said the Election Commission of India should examine the matter and take steps if any irregularities are found.
Claims linked to certificate issuance
According to Karandlaje, the number of birth certificates being issued through cyber centres had increased after the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls began in Karnataka. She also questioned the proposed issuance of permanent residence certificates by the state government.
She argued that people who were born and raised in the state and already have their names in official records do not need additional residence documentation. Karandlaje alleged that the proposed process could be used to provide documents to people who are not legally eligible to receive them.
The Union Minister claimed that the state government was attempting to issue residence certificates to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and people brought from regions where the voter list revision exercise had not been conducted.
Allegations over future elections
Karandlaje said the alleged document issuance was aimed at influencing upcoming elections in Karnataka. She urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately and ensure that electoral processes are conducted according to established rules.
She also referred to the proposed Greater Bengaluru Authority elections, alleging that attempts were being made to add ineligible voters to the electoral rolls. According to her, the voter list submitted for the GBA election process had already been accepted, but new names were now being added with political motives.
Karandlaje alleged that the government was seeking to include voters from a particular community in the electoral rolls. She questioned whether the administration was giving adequate importance to voters from all sections of society.
Concerns raised about SIR implementation
The BJP leader also raised concerns about the manner in which the Special Intensive Revision exercise was being carried out. She said Booth Level Officers, commonly known as BLOs, should not gather people in groups to complete the process.
Karandlaje alleged that several BLOs had not received sufficient training and were under pressure while conducting the verification exercise. She claimed that proper mapping procedures were not being followed and that enumeration forms were being left at homes instead of being processed through the required verification method.
She asked the Karnataka government to stop any practices that do not comply with electoral rules. Karandlaje said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar should ensure that the voter list revision is conducted in accordance with the law.
Claims involving migrant voters
The Union Minister further alleged that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants living in different parts of Karnataka were being provided residency-related documents and added to electoral rolls. She claimed that some political leaders had previously helped such migrants enter the state and that efforts were now being made to regularise their status.
Karandlaje also claimed that some migrants moved to Karnataka after Assembly elections in Bihar and West Bengal. She said a number of such individuals had already been identified, though she did not provide details of any official investigation or action.
She further alleged that some Booth Level Officers were acting on oral directions from the Chief Minister while processing voter records.
Purpose of voter list revision
Defending the SIR exercise, Karandlaje said the revision was being conducted after nearly two decades to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls. She said the process is intended to identify ineligible voters, remove the names of deceased electors and address duplicate registrations.
In urban areas, she said, voters may remain registered at previous addresses even after moving to another locality. Some may also have their names listed in more than one constituency, which can affect polling percentages and voter roll accuracy.
The press conference was attended by Bengaluru South BJP district president and MLA C.K. Ramamurthy, Bengaluru North BJP district president S. Harish, and Bengaluru Central BJP district president Saptagiri Gowda.