Jayanagar voter deletion row: FIR over 5,698 fake Form 7 applications, two BLAs named
An FIR has been registered against two Booth Level Agents and others for allegedly submitting fraudulent Form 7 applications seeking deletion of 5,698 voters from the electoral rolls in the Jayanagar Assembly constituency here, police said on Tuesday.
The case was registered on Monday night following a complaint filed by Karnataka Mahila Congress president Sowmya Reddy, who alleged that the two BLAs were affiliated with the BJP.
Reddy is a former MLA of the Jayanagar Assembly Constituency and was the Congress candidate for Jayanagar Assembly Constituency in the Karnataka assembly elections in 2023.
According to the FIR, Reddy stated that Form-7 applications, meant for objecting to inclusion or requesting the deletion of names from the voters' list were submitted to Booth Level Officers during the ongoing SIR exercise by falsely claiming that 5,698 electors had permanently shifted out of the constituency.
The complainant subsequently conducted an inquiry into the matter and found that Ramakrishna and Yogesh, who are allegedly BLAs associated with the BJP, along with others, had allegedly intentionally furnished false information in Form-7, particularly in a manner affecting voters belonging to minority communities and voters from other sections who were perceived to be politically unfavourable to the BJP and its allied parties, the FIR said.
It was further learnt that, without informing two other citizens, namely C Ramesh and his wife Roopa about the matter, their names and voter ID details were allegedly used and Form-7 applications were submitted to the BLO in their names, the complainant alleged.
It was also learnt that some Form-7 applications bearing forged signatures had been submitted to BLO Lokesh, it said.
Following her complaint, a case was registered at the Jayanagar Police registered against Ramakrishna, Yogesh and others under Sections 61(2)(b) (criminal conspiracy), 217(b) (false information, with intent to cause public servant to use his lawful power to the injury of another person), 319(2) (cheating by personation), 336(2) (forgery) and 340(2) ( forged document or electronic record and using it as genuine), read with Section 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The matter is being investigated, police said.
