Fake voter ID cards case: BJP moves EC, seeks countermanding of polls in Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency

The Assembly polls in Karnataka are due on May 12.

Pic courtesy: ANI

New Delhi: Accusing the Congress of trying to influence the assembly polls in Karnataka, the BJP on Wednesday asked the Election Commission to countermand the election in Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency after thousands of allegedly "fake" voter ID cards were found there in a flat.

A massive controversy has rocked Karnataka after nearly 10,000 "fake" voter ID cards were seized from a flat in Rajrajeshwari Assembly seat. Engaged in a raging war of words, the BJP alleged that Congress was behind the racket, but the ruling party in the state rejected the charge as a "lie".

Both parties have claimed the house owner was associated with the rival party.

A BJP delegation, which included union ministers JP Nadda, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Smriti Irani, SS Ahluwalia, Dharmendra Pradhan and the party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi, told the Commission that scrapping the poll in the constituency was necessary to "reinstate people's faith" in the electoral process, Irani told reporters.

Briefing reporters after meeting the poll panel officials, Nadda said, "We have demanded countermanding of the election in Rajarajeshwari Nagar assembly constituency in Karnataka."

Nadda alleged that the incident had showed the design of Congress to influence the election process in the high-stakes state polls and added that there was "enough evidence" for this.

"Congress party and its candidate are behind this scam. Whereas BJP acted vigilantly and workers exposed this. Our party workers had informed the local authorities at 11 am in the morning but no action was taken till 4 pm by the local administration. This shows the biased approach of local administration by favouring Congress," he said.

Irani said the issue was not only important for the BJP but also the Commission as voter ID cards are seen an evidence of people's faith in the electoral process.

"We have also appealed to the EC to take cognizance of the investigative media reports in this case and take strict action against those who are behind this," Irani told reporters.

The delegation demanded a thorough probe into the matter to find out if similar methods were used in more constituencies.

The Assembly polls are due on May 12.