The BJP on Sunday threatened a statewide agitation if police take legal action against its workers over bulk filing of Form 7 applications during Karnataka’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, escalating the political fight over alleged attempts to delete voters.
Former chief minister and senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa issued the warning after a party delegation led by him met Director General and Inspector General of Police M A Saleem and sought protection for workers facing police cases. The delegation included state BJP president B Y Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, Council Opposition leader Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, MPs, MLAs and MLCs. “No legal action should be taken against our workers under any circumstances. They should not be arrested, harassed or assaulted. “Details about where the application forms were printed and how they reached the BJP are coming to light. The truth has become clear to the Central Election Commission. Let us see what action it takes.
Because the Election Commission was already examining the allegations, shivakumar said the state government had not ordered a separate investigation.
If this continues, we will launch a statewide agitation,” Yediyurappa said. We will take a decision thereafter,” he said.
He alleged that pre-printed applications were being used to target eligible voters, particularly from minority, Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Class communities. The BJP’s intervention came as police registered another case linked to the Form 7 controversy in Bengaluru. The Vyalikaval police have registered an FIR following a complaint by Congress leader Anoop Iyengar over 778 applications seeking deletion of voters in the Malleswaram Assembly constituency. Ashoka defended the submission of Form 7 applications and said the validity of individual applications should be decided by election authorities. “Submitting Form 7 is not a crime. The directive came hours after Shivakumar led a sit-in at the State Election Commission office in Bengaluru and sought an FIR and a time-bound investigation into alleged bulk filing of Form 7 applications.
He alleged that the police were acting at the behest of Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and said officers should act according to law rather than work to please the government. It is the Election Commission, not the police station, that has to determine the truth and validity of a voter,” he said.
