Bengaluru (The HawK): On Thursday, the Karnataka branch of the Congress demanded the resignation of the state's chief minister, Basavaraj Bommai, as well as an investigation into the voter ID fraud by the Chief Justice of the High Court of Karnataka.
The state's party in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, the opposition leader Siddaramaiah, and Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar announced that they would file a criminal complaint in relation to the situation at a joint press conference at the KPCC headquarters in Bengaluru.
Voter information is being stolen by the government. Through a private organisation, the BJP, which is in power, is engaging in election fraud. The Election Commission, Bommai, the responsible minister, and BBMP Special Commissioner Tushar Girinath are working together to steal voter information, according to Surjewala.
Shivakumar alleged that thousands of BJP members in the state had been enlisted to tamper with voter registration lists.
In order to complete the voter ID renewal process, "the BJP workers have been hired on a contract basis by a private agency and given identity cards by the authorities," he alleged.
According to him, between 17,000 and 18,000 of these identity cards are distributed in Bengaluru alone. He also mentioned that BJP workers are canvassing voters door to door.
They are identifying vacant homes, researching voters' political beliefs, and compiling a voter list in order to win elections.
In accordance with Articles 324, 325, and 326 of the Indian Constitution as well as Section 28 of the Representation of the People's Act, only government employees are authorised to handle matters relating to voter lists, according to Shivakumar, who also claimed that the BJP in power and the bureaucracy have broken the rules.
In the meantime, Siddaramaiah asserted that the Chief Minister is ordering everything done.
"Bommai ought to be taken into custody. He ought to step down because he has no moral justification for remaining in charge of the situation. In the history of Karnataka, the Chief Minister has never engaged in such a conspiracy or theft, according to him.
M.B. Patil, the MLA who chairs the KPCC Campaign Committee, stated that it was initially carried out in Bengaluru's Mahadevapura constituency.
"BJP has now spread the exercise throughout the entire city of Bengaluru and all 224 Assembly districts in the state."
Shivakumar also claimed that votes for minorities, SC/STs, and other backward classes were being removed from voter lists through fraud.
"BJP employees are mapping political preferences and removing names or moving names to other wards. To support BJP candidates, voters from other constituencies are being brought in and settled in vacant homes.
He demanded the arrest of thousands of BJP members who had received government-issued ID cards as well as the siege of all data gathered.
"Who gave permission for a private organisation to act on behalf of the BBMP and election commission? How were the government orders approving this private entity issued, dated January 29 and August 28?
"Why did Bommai, the in-charge minister, the BBMP, or the Election Authority not order the issuance of an advertisement before entrusting the election work to a private party?
" asked Surjewala.
"How was it authorised for a private entity to collect voter data such as caste, religion, gender, mother tongue, marital status, Aadhaar number, phone number, address, voter id number, and email address? Is this not blatant theft of personal information and fraud against uninformed voters?
"Can the government authorise a private entity to upload voter personal information to its proprietary app, digital Samiksha, which is purportedly used by political parties' MPs, MLAs, corporators, and aspirants for political use in exchange for payment?
" he inquired further.
(Inputs from Agencies)