Bengaluru Police Book Two BLAs Over Alleged Attempt to Delete 5,698 Voters

An FIR has been registered against two Booth Level Agents (BLAs) and others for allegedly submitting fraudulent Form-7 applications seeking the deletion of 5,698 voters from electoral rolls in the Jayanagar Assembly constituency here, police said on Tuesday.

The case was registered on Monday night following a complaint by Karnataka Mahila Congress president Sowmya Reddy, a former MLA from Jayanagar and the Congress candidate from the constituency in the 2023 Assembly elections.

According to the FIR, Form-7 applications, which are used to object to the inclusion of names or seek deletion of voters from electoral rolls, were submitted to Booth Level Officers during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The applications allegedly falsely claimed that 5,698 electors had permanently shifted out of the constituency.

Reddy subsequently conducted an inquiry and alleged that Ramakrishna and Yogesh, who were identified as BLAs allegedly associated with the BJP, along with others, had deliberately furnished false information in the forms.

The complaint alleged that the applications particularly affected minority voters and others perceived to be politically unfavourable to the BJP and its allies. It was also alleged that the names and voter identification details of two citizens, C Ramesh and his wife Roopa, were used without their knowledge to submit Form-7 applications to the BLO.

Some applications submitted to BLO Lokesh allegedly carried forged signatures, according to the FIR.

Police registered the case at Jayanagar police station against Ramakrishna, Yogesh and others under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to criminal conspiracy, furnishing false information, cheating by personation, forgery and use of forged documents, besides common intention.

The matter is under investigation, police said. The allegations come amid the ongoing SIR exercise for revision of electoral rolls, during which authorities are scrutinising voter records and processing claims and objections to the electoral rolls.