Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (NJC)
Mangaluru, Oct 6: KPCC Publicity Committee vice-president and spokesperson Sudhir Kumar Murolli on Tuesday alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was being misused to target voters belonging to SC, ST, OBC and minority communities, and demanded strict criminal action against those submitting false or bulk Form 7 applications.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress Bhavan in Mallikatte here on October 6, Murali said the Congress and several social organisations had raised concerns over the SIR process and alleged that attempts were being made to remove eligible voters from the electoral rolls.
He questioned the need for political parties or individuals to submit large numbers of applications seeking deletion of voters, particularly when the applications allegedly target specific communities.
“Why does a political party need to rush to delete votes? Why are particular communities being targeted through Form 7?” he questioned.
Murali alleged that in one instance, 243 Form 7 applications had been submitted in the Sringeri Assembly constituency, claiming that the applications were particularly directed against one community. He questioned how anyone could determine in advance which community would vote for a particular political party.
He also alleged that most of the applications were based on claims that voters had permanently shifted from their place of residence. However, following the controversy, several voters reportedly came forward stating that they were still residing at the same place.
Explaining the Congress' demand for action, Murali said Form 7 itself contains a declaration warning applicants that providing false information could attract punishment.
“Our demand is not that people should not file Form 7 applications. Our demand is that those who knowingly provide false information must face action,” he said.
He claimed that the Election Commission had subsequently issued written directions to election authorities regarding bulk submissions and action against those found violating the law.
Murali demanded that election officials, including Electoral Registration Officers, Tahsildars and District Election Officers, should initiate action whenever large-scale or suspicious Form 7 submissions are detected instead of waiting for political parties or organisations to lodge complaints.
Murali also raised concerns over the voter-mapping process, claiming that errors in the software had resulted in voters being incorrectly mapped.
Sharing his own experience, he said his vote had allegedly been mapped with another person having the same name. After getting it unmapped, he claimed that the system showed his vote as already mapped again and that the mapping had been carried out from a polling station in Bengaluru.
He said he had to spend nearly a week getting the issue corrected.
“Many of us check our names in the electoral roll only when we go to vote or when we contest an election. If such errors remain unnoticed until then, a citizen could lose the opportunity to exercise his voting right,” he said.
Murali cited instances from West Bengal and Kerala where candidates allegedly faced problems related to their names in electoral rolls, and argued that voters should not be deprived of their constitutional right because of errors in the revision process.
Congress questions software changes
Murali further questioned alleged changes in the software and electoral forms used in the revision process. Referring to statements by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, he raised questions over changes to the software handling electoral data and sought clarity on who authorised such changes.
He also pointed out that the matter concerning SIR was before the Supreme Court and said the public expected the judiciary to ensure that citizens' voting rights were protected.
Murali maintained that the Congress was not opposed to genuine verification of electoral rolls but objected to what it described as attempts to misuse the process for political purposes.
He urged the Election Commission to ensure that every deletion request is properly verified, with the concerned voter being issued a notice and given an opportunity to respond before any name is removed from the electoral roll.
Dakshina Kannada DCC vice-presidents Subodhaya Alva and T K Sudhir, Mangaluru South Assembly Congress Publicity Committee president Ramananda Poojary, former corporator and former deputy mayor Mohammed Nawaz, Mangaluru North Assembly Congress Publicity Committee president Santhosh D'Costa, Karnataka Publicity Committee organiser KP Thomas, Mangaluru City Block Congress Publicity Committee president Udaya Kundar, Dakshina Kannada District Mahila Congress (Urban) president S Appi, and Dakshina Kannada District Congress Publicity Committee president Denis D'Silva were present.