Ramdas accuses Congress of manipulating voters’ list in city

Mysuru: Accusing the ruling Congress of manipulating the voters’ list in order to suit its electoral fortunes, former Minister and senior BJP leader S.A. Ramdas has demanded action against those officials who were responsible for manipulation. Addressing a press meet at a private hotel in city yesterday, Ramdas said that a total of 26,065 voters from four city Assembly constituencies, were illegally dropped from the electrical rolls. Maintaining that K.R. Congress MLA M.K. Somashekar had written a letter to the DC on July 29, 2017 seeking removal of 4,700 voters in K.R. Constituency on grounds of death and migration, Ramdas alleged that 26,065 voters, most of whom were BJP supporters were illegally dropped from the list after creating fake documents. Asserting that local authorities had no powers and only the State Election Commission (SEC), as per Section 21 of the Representation of People Act, 1956, had the authority to delete names from electoral rolls, Ramdas demanded action against errant local officials who were hand in glove with K.R. MLA in deleting names from the list. Stating that he has filed a writ petition in the High Court against manipulation of electoral rolls, the former Minister alleged that 236 local officials were indulged in the act. Alleging that 200 voters in Booth Nos. 148 and 149 in K.R. constituency were removed from the list, he said that the SEC has assured him of conducting a probe into the issue. City BJP President Dr. B.H. Manjunath, who also addressed the meeting, alleged that 6,149 voters in Chamaraja constituency alone were illegally deleted from the electoral rolls. Claiming that most of the deleted names were from forward communities and were BJP supporters, Manjunath saw a conspiracy in the deletion of names and urged the SEC to look into the matter seriously and take appropriate measures to ensure that electoral rolls are not tampered or manipulated by the ruling Congress party.