Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (DC)
Bengaluru, May 9: In a twist to the case of nearly 10,000 voter id cards found in a flat located in the Rajarajeshwari Nagar, a photograph of alleged flat tenant Rakesh, who is son of a former BJP corporator has gone viral, raising suspicions of the role of BJP leaders in the case.
As many as 9,746 voter IDs were found in an apartment located in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bengaluru. The BJP demanded that voting in the constituency be cancelled before the Karnataka election on Saturday. BJP alleged that the apartment was linked to a lawmaker of the ruling Congress. The Congress hit back accusing the BJP of enacting drama of raiding an apartment owned by a local BJP leader and planting 'fake evidence'.
According to reports, the flat belongs to a former BJP corporator. A photograph of Rakesh whom the BJP is claiming to be party leader's Manjula's adopted son with a BJP leader is going viral.
The spokesman of the Congress party Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that the flat where the voter IDs were found belonged to a BJP leader.
"BJP enacted this drama in an apartment belonging to their own leader Manjula Nanjamari. She has rented the apartment to her son who contested the 2015 BBMP (Bengaluru civic body) elections on a BJP ticket. Apartment was raided not by police or EC but by BJP workers," Surjewala alleged at a press conference on the early hours of Wednesday here.
Sharing the photograph of the flat owner with a BJP candidate, the Congress tweeted: "This is the BJP MLA candidate Muniraj Gowda with BJP leader Rakesh, in whose flat the voter IDs were recovered. Election Commission has clearly said that Manjula Nanjamari had rented the flat to her son Rakesh. BJP's lies stand exposed:"
On the other hand, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) urged the poll panel to countermand the May 12 Assembly poll in the constituency, terming it a conspiracy by the ruling Congress to rig the election.
"The BJP demands countermanding of elections in Rajarajeshwari Nagar in light of latest revelations of tens of thousands of fake voter IDs and empty packets of hard currency. This is Congress conspiracy to rig election in the face of their imminent defeat," tweeted union human resource development minister and the party's in-charge for state polls Prakash Javadekar.
However, Sridhar Nanjamari, son of BJP leader Manjula Nanjamari, has said that the flat was rented to a person named Rangaraju and that Rakesh has no connection to the flat. "The flat was rented to Rangaraju, who pays rent for it every month. I am the only son of Manjula Nanjamari. Rakesh is my mother's nephew's son and he has got no connection with the flat in Park View apartment, as claimed in the media," he said.
Meanwhile, polls in Bengaluru constituency where 10,000 voter ID cards were found in a flat cannot be cancelled, Election Commission sources have said, calling the demand "far-fetched". "Voters can vote even without voter ID by showing other proof. So just because of 9,000 cards found in that flat doesn't warrant countermanding of polls," they said.