Pramesh S Jain
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K.Shivakumar on Thursday staged a dharna on the premises of the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Bengaluru,demanding the registration of a criminal case and a probe into the alleged conspiracy to delete names of eligible voters using Form 7 applications.
Shivakumar,accompanied by several Cabinet colleagues and legislators,visited the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Gandhinagar and submitted a memorandum seeking action in the matter.
He subsequently staged a protest on the steps of the office and said the agitation would continue until a criminal case was registered and a serious investigation ordered.
Ministers,K.J.George,
Speaking to the media before the dharna,Shivakumar said the Election Commission was a constitutional body and that the government respected its authority.
“We have explained the irregularities taking place in the state.They have seen the evidence with their own eyes.
BJP leaders have admitted their involvement and have asked that no action be taken against them and that the applications they submitted be returned,”he alleged.
Shivakumar claimed that around 13,000 Form 7 applications had been submitted in two Assembly constituencies in Ballari and were subsequently withdrawn.
He also alleged that around 13,000 applications had been submitted in Vijayapura, excluding the Babaleshwar constituency, and later withdrawn with requests that no action be taken.
“We have submitted documents and videos relating to Mysuru,Belagavi and Bhalki constituencies.They have contacted senior officials.I will not disclose the details of those discussions.They have sought time until tomorrow,”he said.
The Chief Minister said the Election Commission had sought a report from the respective Deputy Commissioner.
“If they do not trust the evidence we have submitted, let them call for the report.Our struggle will not stop until a serious investigation is ordered,” he said.
Alleging an attempt to deprive voters of their franchise, Shivakumar said those behind the alleged irregularities had committed a serious offence against the democratic process.
“They have attempted to steal the voting rights of electors.This is vote theft,”he said.
He further alleged that attempts had been made to delete voters’ names on a large scale in the constituencies represented by ministers.
“By doing this,they have stabbed the democratic system in the back.A question arises as to why the Congress party fought for the country’s independence and gave it the Constitution.
Although the Election Commission has been given the freedom to take necessary action,they are now moving to seek advice from legal experts.Let them get the advice,”Shivakumar said.
“A Cabinet meeting was scheduled today for other matters.
However, protecting the voting rights of the state’s voters is more important than anything else.This responsibility rests on me,”he added.
Shivakumar said the state government had extended full cooperation to the Election Commission during the SIR process.
“Yet, such a conspiracy has been carried out by the BJP and Janata Dal,”he alleged.
Referring to the earlier controversy involving the Chilume organisation,Shivakumar said similar irregularities were now being alleged in connection with Form 7 applications.
“Earlier,they committed irregularities through the Chilume organisation.Now, when the people who submitted these Form 7 applications were questioned, they said they did not know about them and that these applications had come to them from BJP offices and leaders,” he alleged.
He further alleged that a larger network was behind the alleged irregularities and claimed that voter data, including EPIC numbers, had been accessed.
“We ourselves do not know the EPIC numbers of our family members, but these people have all the information through the EPIC numbers.
A conspiracy was hatched to delete 10,000 to 20,000 votes across all 224 constituencies,”he alleged.
Shivakumar said the issue had attracted attention across the country and reiterated that the protest would continue until the Election Commission initiated action.
“The entire country is watching this vote theft. We will not move from here until the Election Commission takes necessary action.Permission must be granted for the Deputy Commissioner to register a criminal case,”he said.
He added that some voters had already lodged FIRs and that those cases would be investigated according to law.
Questions to the Election Commission on Alleged Form 7 Voter Data Misuse:
1.How did the individuals submitting Form 7 applications obtain detailed voter information,including names, addresses and EPIC numbers,if such information was not legitimately available to them?.
2.How did printed Form 7 applications containing detailed voter particulars reach individuals who were not the concerned voters? Who generated, printed and distributed these forms?.
3.How were EPIC numbers of large numbers of voters accessed? Does the Election Commission suspect that voter data from its database may have been accessed, copied or leaked?.
4.How could a single individual submit more than 100 Form 7 applications seeking deletion of voters’ names?.
What verification mechanism allowed such a large number of applications to be submitted by one person?.
5.Were the Form 7 applications submitted physically or electronically, and what records are available regarding the IP addresses, devices, login credentials, locations and timestamps associated with their submission?.
6. Did the Election Commission identify any unusual pattern in the Form 7 applications, such as multiple applications originating from the same person, address, device, phone number, IP address or other common source? If so, what action was taken?.
7. Is it not evident that Form 7 applications may have been filed by impersonation, with applications submitted in the names of individuals who were completely unaware that such applications had been filed seeking deletion of their names from the electoral rolls?.
8. Were the voters whose names were sought to be deleted independently contacted or verified before the applications were processed? If not, why was additional verification not triggered when large numbers of applications were submitted?.
9. Has the Election Commission conducted a forensic audit of its voter database and Form 7 application records to determine whether voter data was accessed by unauthorised persons or organisations?.
10. Prima facie, does this not appear to be an organised effort to manipulate the voters’ list? If so, will the Election Commission investigate whether there was a coordinated effort to identify specific voters and submit Form 7 applications seeking their deletion?.
11. During the SIR exercise, what safeguards were put in place to prevent the voter database, EPIC numbers and other electoral information from being misused for mass deletion attempts? Were any of these safeguards breached in the cases now under scrutiny?.
12. If the Form 7 applications were genuine, why were they subsequently withdrawn? Does the withdrawal of a large number of such applications not warrant an investigation into why they were filed in the first place, who instructed or facilitated their filing, and why the applicants later sought their withdrawal?.
13. Lastly, why have suo motu cases not been registered and taken up by the Election Commission despite multiple incidents involving the submission of Form 7 applications in large numbers to seek the deletion of voters’ names? When there are repeated instances of such applications being filed, does the Election Commission not have a duty to independently examine the pattern and initiate action wherever prima facie violations are found?.
Reported Form 7 Incidents
There have been more than a dozen reported incidents involving the submission of Form 7 applications seeking the deletion of voters’names in different constituencies.
* Belagavi North: 1,373 Form 7 applications.
* Mudigere: 6,259 Form 7 applications.
* Babaleshwar: 1,373 Form 7 applications.
* Bhalki: 2,285 Form 7 applications.
* Ballari: 6,500 Form 7 applications.
* Jayanagar: 5,000 Form 7 applications.
* Bidar: 3,200 Form 7 applications.
Other Reported Incidents:
*A video has emerged of a Booth Level Officer (BLO) making a humble and emotional appeal against being pressured to accept Form 7 applications, despite an FIR reportedly having been registered by the district police.
* In Babaleshwar, a written apology was reportedly submitted by a BJP worker, requesting the authorities not to take action against him and stating that he had submitted the Form 7 applications by mistake.
These incidents raise questions about whether the repeated submission of large numbers of Form 7 applications represents isolated incidents or a broader pattern requiring an independent examination by the Election Commission.
