BJP state vice-president Anil Benake has alleged that Belagavi North constituency has more than 10,000 bogus voters and accused officials of refusing to accept Form 7 objections filed by party workers against entries in the electoral roll.
Speaking at the BJP’s Jagannath Bhavan office in Bengaluru on October 12, Benake said he would meet the Deputy Commissioner on October 13 to submit complaints regarding the alleged refusal to accept the objections.
Benake claimed that 389 voters were registered at a single house in the constituency. He also alleged that 20 voter names were listed at another house and 15 at a third location, citing specific ward and polling booth details.
The allegations have not been independently verified.
BJP alleges intimidation over Form 7 objections
Benake alleged that BJP workers were being intimidated while attempting to submit Form 7 applications seeking the deletion of names from the electoral roll.
According to him, party workers had submitted 10 forms each at several polling booths across different constituencies. He maintained that BJP booth-level agents would continue raising objections despite the alleged threats.
He further claimed that forms had been snatched from party workers and that they had been told they could not submit Form 7 applications.
Benake alleged that cases were being registered against members of his group, claiming that three people from his side and 20 others were facing police action. He said those named in an FIR had approached the court seeking anticipatory bail.
He also alleged that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were reluctant to accept applications because of the fear of police cases. According to Benake, assistant electoral registration officers had threatened to suspend BLOs who accepted Form 7 objections.
He specifically claimed that objections relating to polling booths 196 and 197 were not being accepted. In some instances, he alleged, information had not been provided despite applications being filed and the prescribed fees being paid.
Seeks verification of voter entries
Benake said the BJP had sought an inquiry into voter entries involving deceased persons, individuals who no longer resided at the listed addresses and voters whose names allegedly appeared at more than one location.
The party has called for these entries to be verified and for names found to be ineligible to be removed in accordance with the applicable electoral rules.
He alleged that police action against BJP workers had intensified following instructions from the Chief Minister to register FIRs, making it difficult for the party to submit objections.
Questioning what he described as a double standard, Benake referred to the Chief Minister and the Congress state president protesting in Delhi and asked why the BJP’s objections to electoral roll entries were allegedly not being accepted at the local level.
The BJP leader said he would raise these concerns with the Deputy Commissioner on October 13.
The allegations concerning bogus voters, intimidation and the rejection of Form 7 applications remain claims made by Benake and require verification by the election authorities.