No crime in submitting Form-7: BJP

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BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra said the party had every right to flag voters it had reasons to suspect were added to the draft voter list illegally.

“In the beginning, Muslim voters were pooled together in masjids and kalyana mantaps, officers also called to the spot, and voters were added to the list. There is a suspicion that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants have made it to the voter list in some constituencies. We have flagged them. The Election Commission of India (EC) will verify these applications and reject them if found to be false. What is the crime in this?” he said, adding that BJP leaders would not be threatened by FIRs. 

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok alleged the Congress was trying to put pressure on the EC and stand by “those who vote in multiple places”. “Every genuine citizen must get his/her vote, but there are around two crore Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, who need to be sent back. The Congress needs to look at that as well,” he said. He also lashed out at the Chief Minister for staging a protest “ignoring the affairs of the State, during a drought”.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, taking to X, called it a “diversionary tactic” of the Chief Minister who should have been addressing burning issues such as drought.

JD(S) leader and Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy too launched a sharp attack at the Congress over its campaign against the SIR, questioning the party’s credibility in raising allegations of electoral irregularities.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Congress was now protesting against a process it had itself participated in when the SIR exercise began. He alleged that the Congress leaders had earlier organised gatherings at marriage halls, community centres, and residential premises in connection with electoral rolls revision.

“Those who remained silent when we raised these issues are now suddenly speaking about irregularities,” Mr. Kumaraswamy said.

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