Karnataka SIR Row: BJP BLA Booked Over Attempt To Seek Deletion Of 7,561 Voters

A BJP-affiliated Booth Level Agent (BLA) in Karnataka's Ballari has been booked for allegedly seeking deletion of the names of 7,561 voters from the electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, a News18 report stated.

The FIR was registered at Brucepet police station on October 1 following a complaint by Congress BLA Goutham S, according to reports. The accused, T Srinivas Mothkur, is the Opposition leader of Ballari City Corporation and BJP BLA-1. A separate report said three election officials were also named in the case.

Mothkur is accused of submitting requests to remove voters on the grounds that they were absent, had shifted residence or were registered elsewhere. He has been booked under Section 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to statements conducing to public mischief.

The case comes amid a wider controversy in Karnataka over alleged misuse of Form 7, which is used to request deletion of names from electoral rolls. Police have registered multiple FIRs in the state over allegations involving bulk Form 7 applications.

Election Officials Rejected Mothkur's Requests

According to the report, Mothkur initially attempted to submit Form 7 applications seeking deletion of the 7,561 names. When election officials did not accept the claims, he subsequently sought re-verification of the voters through objections.

On September 21, Mothkur wrote to the Ballari City Corporation saying he had attempted to submit the Form 7 applications through the concerned Booth Level Officers (BLOs), but many had refused to accept them. He said some applications were accepted by BLOs while the remaining ones were submitted directly to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).

The election authorities responded the same day, saying the claims that the voters were registered elsewhere, absent or permanently shifted were not supported by documents or other evidence.

The authorities also pointed to the procedure governing bulk applications. According to the complaint, BLAs could submit applications in bulk, but no more than 10 could be submitted to a BLO at a time or in a day.

A BLA was also required to submit a list of applications along with a declaration that the details had been personally verified.

Mothkur again approached the authorities on September 22, saying he was ready to submit objections against all 7,561 voters listed in the draft electoral roll. The election authorities rejected the request, saying the registration status of the voters could not be verified merely on the basis of the complaint.

Congress Alleges Minority Voters Were Targeted

Following the repeated attempts, Congress BLA Goutham S filed a police complaint alleging that Mothkur had submitted Form 7 applications against the 7,561 electors.

Goutham further alleged that election officials at some polling stations had re-verified voters' names based on the objections. He claimed that a large majority of the voters targeted for deletion belonged to a minority community and accused the BJP BLA of attempting to remove minority voters from the electoral rolls.

The Ballari case is part of a wider political and legal dispute over the use of Form 7 during Karnataka's SIR.