Fake voter ID scam: 'Rakesh has no connection with the flat', says son of Manjula Nanjamuri

Nearly 10,000 voters ID cards were found at a 'rented' apartment in North Bangalore's R R Nagar area late on Tuesday night, leading to a probe by the Election Commission.

At an emergency press meet, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar said 9,746 voter identity cards were found in bundles in flat number 115 at SLV Park View apartments in Jalahalli.

The flat, he said, belongs to Manjula Nanjundmuri, and had been rented out to one Rakesh.

However, speaking on the issue, Sridhar, the only son of Manjula Nanjamari, said that,''Rakesh is my mother's nephew's son and he has got no connections with the flat in Park View apartment, as is what claimed in media.''

''The flat was rented to Rangaraju, who pays rent for it every month,'' Sridhar Nanjamari further said.

Manjula, the flat owner on Wednesday broke her silence over the allegations and said the tenants are Rekha and Rangaraju and the news of Rakesh renting the flat is a fake.

"From 1997-2002 I was a corporator, and BJP helped me win. I was just a housewife and BJP supported me, so I consider myself under their 'sharan'. I am not a Congress person, will never be", Manjula added.

Rakesh, the BJP supporter who Congress alleged was a tenant of the flat in Bengaluru where the voter IDs were seized also said that he has no connection with the flat for last 10 years. "EC officials and Police have already taken my statement, the aides of Congress Rajarajeshwari Nagar candidate Munirathna Naidu have been threatening me for exposing this", he said.

"I have no connection with that flat, neither do I have any relation with that aunt (Manjula Nanjamuri) for last 10 years", Rakesh was quoted by ANI. "We only searched the house when we got confirmation of voter IDs being stacked inside, we had been watching how cars were coming and leaving from there frequently", he added.

On Tuesday, at an emergency press meet, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sanjiv Kumar said 9,746 voter identity cards were found in bundles in flat number 115 at SLV Park View apartments in Jalahalli.

The BJP had alleged that the apartment belonged to a Congress lawmaker. The Congress said that the apartment is owned by the BJP and their "lies have been exposed."

Who is Manjula Nanjamuri?

The spokesman of the Congress party Randeep Singh Surjewala alleged that the flat where the voter IDs were found belonged to a BJP leader - Manjula Nanjamuri.

"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.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denied any recent connection with Nanjamuri and 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.