Voter ID scam: Rajarajeshwarinagar poll likely to be countermanded

In the wake of the huge voter identification card scam being unearthed, the BJP and JD(S) have both demanded the countermanding of elections at the Rajarajeshwarinagar constituency in Bengaluru.

The Chief Electoral Officer, Sanjiv Kumar said at a hurriedly convened presser that 9,746 voter ID cards were found at a flat at the SLV Park View apartment which was owned by one Manjula Najamuri which was rented out to one Rakesh.

EC officials who visited the flat also found five laptops and a printer. There were two large steel trunks with around Rs one lakh counterfoil strips that resembled acknowledgement slips used for addition of new names on to the electoral rolls.

Among the contestants from the seat are: Muniratna of the Congress, P M Muniraju of BJP and G H Ramachandra of JD(S).

Kumar said that the issue was a serious one. There were more than one lakh counterfoils that had been found in the apartment. We will ensure that free and fair polls are conducted, he also said.

Ananth Kumar also said that illegalities were found in Chamundeshwari and Badami constituencies where Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is contesting. "By deciding to contest from Badami, Siddaramaiah has already admitted defeat in Chamundeshwari. He is doing everything in his capacity to rig the elections. The BJP has demanded that the Election Commission deploy paramilitary forces in every booth in Chamundeshwari," the BJP leader also said.

He said that the apartment belonged to a BJP leader and ex-corporator Manjula Najamari. She had rented it to her adopted son, who had contested the BBMP elections in 2015 and lost, he added.