SIR Row Moves From Allegations To FIRs Over Form-7 Applications
The case was registered on a complaint by Gautham S, a Congress BLA. According to the complaint, Motkar submitted a request on September 21 seeking deletion of 7,561 names from the draft electoral roll of Ballari City Assembly constituency.
Ballari: The row over alleged attempts to delete voters' names during the SIR exercise is no longer confined to political allegations, with complaints now reaching the police and FIRs being registered in different districts over Form-7 applications.
Cases have been registered in Ballari, Belagavi and Bidar over allegations that Form-7 applications were submitted seeking deletion of voters' names from the electoral rolls. The complaints have alleged submission of false information, forged signatures and attempts to remove names without the knowledge of the concerned voters.
In Ballari, police have registered a case against BJP Ballari City Corporation corporator and BLA-1 Srinivas Motkar, along with three election officials and others, over 7,561 Form-7 applications.
The case was registered on a complaint by Gautham S, a Congress BLA. According to the complaint, Motkar submitted a request on September 21 seeking deletion of 7,561 names from the draft electoral roll of Ballari City Assembly constituency. After the request was reportedly rejected, another application was submitted to the election officials on September 22 along with Form-7 applications.
The complainant alleged that a BLA was permitted to submit a maximum of 30 Form-7 applications under the SIR guidelines, but the election officials accepted the 7,561 applications submitted by Motkar.
The complaint further alleged that around 98.08 per cent of the voters covered by the applications belonged to the minority community and alleged that the exercise was intended to remove their names from the electoral roll.
Assistant Commissioner Nandish, BLO Sumalatha and case worker Sharanabasava have also been named in the FIR.
In Belagavi, Market police registered an FIR on September 30 against BJP leader Dr Ravi Patil and around 20 to 25 others following a complaint over an alleged attempt to remove the names of 198 voters through Form-7 applications.
The case relates to polling booths 195 and 196 in Veerabhadranagar. The complaint alleged that false information and documents were submitted in an attempt to get the names of the voters deleted from the electoral roll.
In Bidar district's Bhalki, police have registered a case against 32 persons following a complaint alleging that Form-7 applications were submitted seeking deletion of the names of 3,244 voters.
The complainant, Mohammed Ateeq Ahmed of Masuma Pasha Colony in Bhalki, alleged that the applications showed voters as having shifted or being absent despite them continuing to reside in the area. He also alleged that the applications were submitted without the knowledge of the affected voters and that signatures were forged.
The cases come amid a wider row over the use of Form-7 during the SIR process, with Congress party raising concerns over bulk applications seeking deletion of voters' names.
