Karnataka Minister Yathindra on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of systematically removing eligible voters from the electoral rolls in Davanagere district during a special intensive revision drive. He alleged that the move was aimed at disenfranchising thousands of voters ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Allegations of Voter Disenfranchisement
Speaking to reporters in Davanagere, Yathindra claimed that the BJP-led district administration had deleted names of legitimate voters without proper notice or verification. “The special revision was supposed to clean up the rolls, but instead it has become a tool to snatch voting rights from eligible citizens,” he said.
The minister cited instances where voters who had been on the rolls for decades suddenly found their names missing. He said many affected voters were from minority communities and opposition party supporters.
No Time for Legal Recourse
Yathindra pointed out that the election schedule left no window for affected voters to appeal deletions in court. “With elections just around the corner, there is no time to file appeals. The BJP has deliberately timed this to prevent people from voting,” he added.
According to the minister, over 5,000 names were removed in Davanagere constituency alone during the special revision that concluded last week. “We have received hundreds of complaints from voters who were never contacted or given a hearing before their names were struck off,” he said.
BJP Denies Allegations
The BJP has denied the allegations, calling them baseless. District BJP president M. Shashikumar said the revision was conducted as per Election Commission guidelines. “We have not removed any eligible voter. Only duplicate entries and deceased persons were deleted. The Congress is making false claims to cover up their own failures,” he said.
Shashikumar also accused the Congress of trying to politicize a routine administrative process. “The special revision is done every year. If the Congress has objections, they should approach the Election Commission instead of making wild allegations,” he added.
Congress Demands Reinstatement
Yathindra has demanded that all deleted names be immediately restored and that a fresh revision be conducted under strict supervision. He also called for a probe into the conduct of officials involved in the deletion drive.
“We will raise this issue in the assembly and also file a complaint with the Election Commission. The people of Karnataka will not tolerate this attack on democracy,” he said.
