Karnataka Election: Nearly 10,000 ‘Fake’ Voter Cards Recovered From ‘BJP Leader’s House’

Around 10,000 voter ID cards were found in a Bengaluru apartment yesterday. The apartment in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar constituency belongs to Manjula Nanjamari, a BJP leader according to the Congress. A man named Rakesh, who the Congress claimed is Nanjamari’s son, had rented the apartment, NDTV reported.

Alleging that the recovery of the voter ID cards points at a conspiracy to influence election results in the constituency, the Congress tweeted a photo of Rakesh with BJP MLA Muniraj Gowda. “Election Commission has clearly said that Manjula Nanjamari had rented the flat to her son Rakesh. BJP’s lies stand exposed,” the Karnataka Congress said.

The Election Commission has ordered an inquiry into the matter and said more details will come out in the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the BJP has alleged that Nanjamari is not with their party but with the Congress. “Manjula Nanjamuri has nothing to do with BJP. She left BJP six years ago. Manjula is a Congress person now. They just want to blame BJP without any substance. We have proof of various things, which we will present before the EC,” Union Human Resource Development Minister and the party’s in-charge for state polls Prakash Javadekar said.

The Karnataka Congress social media in-charge, Srivatsa, responded to the allegation by tweeting a photo of Rakesh with BJP MLA candidate Muniraj and former deputy CM Ashoka.

“Here is BJP leader Rakesh (at whose house the Voter IDs were found) campaigning with BJP MLA candidate Muniraj & Former Dy CM Ashoka,” Sreevatsa said in the tweet. “BJP is now trying to disown him & his mother after they were caught red-handed trying to fool the people of Karnataka.”

Karnataka Congress also tweeted a list of BJP candidates for Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) election where Rakesh’s name features for the Jalahali ward. “Is this not proof that Rakesh is from BJP?” they said.

After the news of the recovery of voter ids cards came to light around midnight, BJP’s Sadanand Gowda quickly tweeted, alleging that “democracy” was being “attacked in Bengaluru”.

“More than 20000 Voter ID cards found at a private apartment,” Gowda said. “I visited the place personally. This mockery at the behest of @INCIndia Rajarajeshwari Nagara Candidate Munirathna Naidu #congresscheatsdemocracy.”Gowda said.

The BJP has said the Raja Rajeshwara Nagar elections should not take place until further investigation is done. “BJP demands countermanding of elections in AC 154 Raj Rajeshwari Nagar in light of latest revelations of tens of thousands of fake voter ID and empty packets of hard currency. This is Congress conspiracy to rig election, in face of their imminent defeat,” Javadekar tweeted.

Congress spokesperson responded, saying the apartment was not raided by the EC but by BJP workers themselves. “The BJP enacted this drama in an apartment belonging to their own leader, Manjula Nanjamari,” he said. “She has rented the apartment to her son Mr Rakesh who contested the 2015 BBMP (local) elections on a BJP ticket. The apartment was not raided by police or EC but by BJP workers.”

An IndiaTV report said the blame game started after Election Commission received a complaint about fake voter IDs in a flat in the Raja Rajeshwari Nagar segment of the Bengaluru’s southwest suburb.

At the midnight press conference, Karnataka’s Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar said, “After a surprise visit was paid to a flat in Jalahalli locality, nearly 9,746 voter ID cards were found. Five laptops and one printer were also found in the flat.”

In the preliminary inquiry, the voter ID cards were found to be genuine whereas the counterfoils –acknowledgement slips used for adding names of voters –were not the same as that used by the EC.

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