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The Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, has directed the District Electoral Officer (DEO) and BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad to inquire into allegations of voters in Rajarajeshwarinagar Assembly phase being coerced into divulging particulars of voters’ ID playing cards and submit a report inside 24 hours.
This was after a number of Congress leaders, led by former MP V.S. (*24*), met with CEO Sanjiv Kumar and lodged a proper grievance in opposition to the BJP’s candidate in R.R Nagar Muniratha Naidu, looking for his disqualification from the election. The bypoll to this Assembly constituency is scheduled on November 3.
Mr. (*24*) maintained that the Congress had proof that the BJP was accumulating EPIC (electoral picture id playing cards) from voters of poor socio-economic teams and minority communities. “We have received in writing from some voters that they were forced to handover their cards and that they were given ₹5,000 in exchange. Nearly 5,000 such cards have been so far collected by the BJP agents,” he charged and acknowledged that this clearly confirmed that BJP was using coercion and threats in the phase.
He additionally identified that this was the identical modus operandi that Mr. Munirathna had employed in the earlier Assembly polls held in May 2018. “After more than 9,500 EPICs were seized from an apartment in Jalahalli, coming under R.R. Assembly constituency, several cases were registered against Mr. Munirathna,” he mentioned.
In May 2018, Mr. Munirathna contested on a Congress ticket. Asked why the get together didn’t provoke any motion in opposition to him then, Mr. (*24*) claimed that Congress “believed the allegations were politically motivated.”
The Congress has now demanded that the CEO direct the authorities involved to register an FIR in opposition to the BJP candidate, his brokers and others concerned in accumulating voters’ particulars, aside from initiating steps for the conduct of free and truthful polls.
Despite a number of makes an attempt, Mr. Munirathna was unavailable for remark. However, Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan, reacting to Congress’ allegation, claimed the get together was attempting to divert public consideration by creating an episode of accumulating EPIC by unknown individuals.
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